Categorizing carrageenans into different types can be challenging because one sample can contain more than one type of disaccharide unit. When multiple units are present within one polymer chain, the corresponding carrageenans are referred to as hybrid carrageenans. However, it is also possible that mixtures are present, which contain multiple non-covalently linked carrageenans . Accordingly, carrageenans show highly heterogeneous chemical structures that determine the physicochemical properties of the polysaccharides.