A note on carrageenan (in whipping cream)

[mangekyousharingan]

Hello all. I just wanted to make mention of the common food additive carrageenan, since I keep reading about people using heavy whipping cream to fatten up a skinny ferret. First, heavy whipping cream is caloricly dense and seems to be appetizing to ferrets, so this may be a good caloric supplement to an underweight ferret's diet. It is important to stress, however, that care should be taken not to give too much of any non-meat product to an obligate carnivore. That being said, I will move on to the main purpose of this post.

Carrageenan, an additive found in a variety of foods, spanning from dairy products to meat, has been shown to cause serious intestinal problems, including cancers and ulcers, in lab animals (guinea pigs, rats, and monkeys). Although poligeenan (a degraded form of carageenan) was to blame, this does not mean that carrageenan is safe. Poligeenan is created when carrageenan is exposed to high acidity. Ferrets, being obligate carnivores, contain a digestive tract with many times more hydrochloric acid by volume and a lower pH (thus higher acidity) than humans. So while humans may be at a lower risk for developing gastrointestinal problems as a result of carrageenan (limited to intestinal inflammation or bowel disease), ferrets and other carnivores could have much more severe reactions.

Do not misunderstand me. I am an advocate of moderation. I am simply attempting to keep everyone informed. If it is possible, try purchasing carrageenan-free when you can.

[mustelidmusk]

Good post -
I did some quick investigation on the subject since, at one time, heavy cream and whipping cream were distinctly different products. The whipping cream had the additives, and the heavy cream did not...hence the recommendation for the heavy cream.

Based upon a lot of the posts I read, it looks like many of the heavy creams now contain carrageenan. (They just can't leave anything alone, can they???)

I also read that some areas in the US still retain a distinction between heavy cream and whipping cream.

I also read that only FDA regulation on classificatio of cream is the fat content - not the use of additives.

So, if you use cream to fatten your fuzzy, read the label. I think everyone knows to use cream sparingly as well since it is dairy.

One more thing.... I saw Bob Church speak at the Buckeye Bash. Based upon his studies of the feral ferret populations, we tend to keep our ferrets overweight!!!

-jennifer