Carrageenans or carrageenins (/ˌkærəˈɡiːnənz/ karr-ə-gee-nənz, from Irish carraigín, "little rock") are a family of natural linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red edible seaweeds. The most well-known and still most important red seaweed used for manufacturing the hydrophilic colloids to produce carrageenan is Chondrus crispus (Irish moss) which is a dark red parsley-like plant that grows attached to the rocks. Carrageenans are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. Their main application is in dairy and meat products, due to their strong binding to food proteins. In recent years, carrageenans have emerged as a promising candidate in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications as they resemble native gl