Thickener, also known as gelling agent, is a substance that can increase the viscosity of latex and liquid. It is also called paste when used in food. Thickeners can increase the viscosity of the system, keep the system in a uniform and stable suspension or turbid state, or form a gel; most of the thickeners also have an emulsifying effect. It can be divided into two categories: natural and synthetic.
Application of thickener?
Thickeners are widely used in food (such as adding food additives that increase food viscosity or form gels in sauces, jams, ice cream, cans, etc.), cosmetics, detergents, latex, printing and dyeing, medicine, rubber, coatings, etc.
The future of thickeners?
Thickeners are multi-variety and multi-functional materials. At present, a series of products such as cellulose thickener, polyacrylate thickener, alkali-soluble acrylic thickener, and polyurethane thickener have been developed. They have outstanding performance in pasting, permeability, network penetration, rheology, thixotropy, wire-drawing, water-holding, suspension, etc., and have a wide range of applications. The recent development direction is the liquid associative solvent-free thickener. In addition, adding certain substances to the polyacrylic acid thickener for copolymerization modification and compounding with other thickeners is also an important content of current research. With the continuous development of thickeners, manufacturers generally recognize the importance of applied research. However, compared with multinational companies, there is still a certain gap in the serialization and product performance of domestic companies’ products, and some product development is still in the stage of imitation. Improve its low damage, shear resistance and high temperature resistance, develop its potential uses, reduce costs, and promote the development of thickeners.
