A Guide To Understanding And Mixing Thickeners

Rheology modifiers, commonly referred to as thickeners or viscosifiers, are everpresent in most products. The use of these additives cut across several process industries including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and personal care, adhesives, textile, ceramics, paper, detergents, paints, inks and coatings, among others. They serve the purpose of not just altering the viscosity of the formulation but also that of providing specific functionality to the product. This could range from improving mouthfeel, body, texture, moisture retention and suspendability of soluble ingredients to increasing stability and dry strength, inhibiting syneresis, resisting bacterial attack, preventing shrinkage and controlling crystal ice formation.

Thickeners come from both natural and synthetic sources. Naturally occurring polymers comprised of polysaccharide or amino acid building blocks, and are generally water-soluble. Common examples are starch, cellulose, alginate, egg yolk, agar, arrowroot, carageenan, collagen, gelatin, guar gum, pectin and xanthan gum.

On the other side, synthetic acrylic-based polymers are conveniently grouped into three general classes: alkali-swellable (or soluble) emulsions (ASE's) hydrophobically modified alkali-swellable emulsions (HASE's) and hydrophobically modified, ethoxylated urethane resins (HEUR's).