Thickener is also known as gelling agent, also known as paste or food glue when used in food. It can increase the viscosity of the system, keep the system in a uniform and stable suspended state or opacified state, or form a gel. Widely used in food, paint, adhesives, cosmetics, detergents, printing and dyeing, rubber, medicine and other fields. In paint printing, the paint printing paste consists of thickener, water, binder and paint paste. Under the action of printing mechanical force, the printing paste produces a shearing force, which makes the viscosity of the printing paste instantly increase. The amplitude is reduced; when the shearing force disappears, it returns to the original high viscosity, making the fabric printing contour clear. This change in viscosity that occurs with changes in shear force is mainly achieved by thickeners. In the manufacture of latex paints, thickeners play a coordinated role in the thickening, stability and rheological properties of latex paints. In the latex polymerization process, it is used as a protective colloid to improve the stability of the emulsion; in the pigment and filler dispersion stage, the viscosity of the dispersed material is increased to facilitate dispersion; in the storage and transportation process, the coating stability and freeze-thaw resistance are improved to prevent pigments and The filler sinks at the bottom and agglomerates; the viscosity of the latex paint is adjusted during the construction and exhibits good thixotropy. Adding a few thousandths of food thickener to food has the effects of gelation, film formation, water holding, suspension, emulsification, foam stabilization and lubrication. It plays a very important role in the color, aroma, taste, structure and relative stability of the food or jelly food.
Thickeners are mostly hydrophilic polymer compounds, which can be divided into animals, plants, minerals, synthetic or semi-synthetic groups according to their sources. Simple points can be divided into two categories: natural and synthetic. Most natural products are prepared from plants and seaweeds containing viscous polysaccharides, such as starch, pectin, agar, gelatin, seaweed fat, carrageenan, dextrin, xanthan gum, polysaccharide derivatives, etc .; Synthetic products include cellulose derivatives such as methyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose, starch derivatives, casein, sodium polyacrylate, polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, low molecular weight polyethylene wax, polypropylene Amide, etc.
The thickeners commonly used in beverage production and thickeners used as emulsion stabilizers are mainly sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, propylene glycol alginate, carrageenan, xanthan gum, pectin, guar gum, locust bean gum Wait.
