Carrageenans or carrageenins are extracted from red edible seaweeds. They 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. There are three main varieties of carrageenan, which differ in their degree of sulphation. Kappa-carrageenan has one sulphate group per disaccharide. Iota-carrageenan has two sulphates per disaccharide. Lambda carrageenan has three sulphates per disaccharide. Carrageenan is avegetarian and vegan alternative to gelatin in some applications or may be used to replace gelatin in confectionery.

MAX Industrial Microwave manufactures the continuous furnace microwave which can quickly dry and sterilize carrageenan powder. Comparing to hot air drying and infrared, microwave is more efficient, especially in the lower moisture content, microwave vibrates the material water molecular to exert the heating energy. On the other hand, microwave sterilizes the microbes to keep food in a clean condition.