By Miles

Phycocolloids are one of several starch-like chemicals found in some seaweeds. Phycocolloids are used by many industries. For example, phycocolloids are used in the cosmetics industry, they are also used for medicine and in food. Three types of Phycocolloids are Agar, Carrageenan, and Alginate. Listed below are some of the many uses that make Phycocolloids important.

Above are some seaweeds that pycocolloids are extracted from.

Dairy	Non-Dairy	Industrial	Medical	Pharmaceuticals
Cheeses	Syrups	Air Freshener Gels	Ointments	Lotions
Flans	Relishes	Cleaners	Capsules- Slow release Drugs	Cosmetics
Yogurt	Icings	Explosives	Anti-coagulants	Skin makeup
Milk Shakes	Meringues	Adhesives	Stiffening agent for medium to grow bacteria - mold	Toothpaste
Puddings	Salad Dressings	Casings/ Impressions	Dental impression molds	Laxatives
Egg Nog	Sauces- Gravies	Paints	Ulcer Medicine	Shaving soaps
Mayonnaise	Pastry Fillings	Shoe Polish
Ice Cream	Frozen Foods	Photographic Film
Custards	Jellies- Jams	Textile Dyeing

Alginate	Carrageenan	Agar
Algin is a phycocolloid extracted from brown algae. It is used for personal care produts like shampoo, cosmetics, conditioner, and shower gel. It is also used for manufacturing dressings for wounds. Alginate also stabilizes the ingredients of tablets for making medicine.	Carrageenan is a phycocolloid extracted from red algae that is widely used in food processing. It acts as a thickening agent in dairy products. Carrageenan is also used to add creaminess to products like ice cream, chocolate, salad dressings, and sherberts. One of the major industrial uses for carrageenan is in air freshener gels.	Agar is a phycocolloid extracted from red algae. Agar is the most potent gel-forming agent of the phycocolloids. Agar is used as a base to grow bacteria on. It is also used to bind proteins to clarify juices wines and vinegar. Along with algin, agar is used as a binder for medical tablets and capsules. It can be used in jellies and fillings too.

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