Ashley Morris

Foodtopia

GELLED MILK
Foodtopia | Food Thickeners | Carrageenan

GRADE LEVEL
10th Grade chemistry
students.

KEY TERMS

Carrageenan

Food Thickeners

Kappa-Carrageenan

TIME FRAME
This activity requires 25
minutes (including 10
minutes for refrigeration).

Materials List
The following materials are
needed to complete the
activity.
Whole milk and chocolate
milk
Kappa carrageenan
250-mL beakers
Graduated cylinders
Hot plates or burners
Hot pads
Teaspoon
Ice cube trays
Lab coats
Googles

Activity Summary
In the activity, Gelled Milk, students experience hands-on the
effects of incorporating thickeners such as carrageenan into
dairy products.

Measurable Objective
Students analysis the effects of carrageenan when
incorporated into milk and chocolate milk.

Background Information
Carrageenan is a natural thickener derived from red seaweed
leaves with is incorporated into a plethora of dairy products
currently on the market. Carrageenan is primarily used
gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. Their main
application is in dairy and meat products, due to their strong
binding to food proteins. There are three main varieties of
carrageenan, differing in their number of sulfate groups.
Kappa-carrageenan has one sulfate group per disaccharide,
Iota-carrageenan has two sulfates per disaccharide, and
Lambda carrageenan has three sulfates per disaccharide.
During the current Foodtopia unit students have been
exposed to the three main food molecules - proteins,
carbohydrates, and lipids. During the last weeks of the
chemistry unit students were afforded the opportunity to
explore chemicals used in foods we eat on an everyday basis
including carrageenan and transglutaminase.
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Ashley Morris

TEACHER TIPS
Whole or 1% milk works
better than non-fat milk.
Recipe was obtained from
Cooking for Geeks by Jeff
Porter.

Student Handout:

Foodtopia

Activity Instructions
In order to make the gelled milk students will need to
combine 100 mL of milk with 1 teaspoon of carrageenan and
heat the milk (slowly) to a low boil while mixing the solution.
Once the mixture has been brought to a boil it can be poured
into ice cube trays (or other containers) and cooled in the
fridge for 10 to 15 minutes. When the gelled milk is set the
students can extract the gels from the ice cube tray and
examine the affects of adding carrageenan to milk.

Gelling of Milk

Pre-Lab Questions:
1. What are thickeners and why are they used in foods?
2. Can you think of any common thickeners in the foods you eat?
3. What is carrageenan?
The Gelling of Milk:
In a beaker whisk together 1 teaspoon (1.5 grams) of kappa carrageenan with 100 ml of milk.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Once the mixture is boiling pour the mixture into the provided mold and place in the
refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
Observation of Milk Appearance
Observation of Milk

Before addition of carrageenan

Addition of carrageenan (during boiling phase)

Milk + carrageenan (after refrigeration)

Post-Lab Questions:
1. How does the carrageenan thicken the milk? (What is the science behind thickeners?)
2. Looking at the repeating-unit structure of kappa-carrageenan do you notice anything similar to
the other food molecules we have studied?

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