showed even more variation. Notably, the carrageenans LC3, LC5, and LC6 as well as C1 mainly contained sodium ions. Potassium was observed as the predominant cation in LC2 and C2, whereas sample LC1 showed high amounts of calcium. Furthermore, a 1:1 mixture of potassium and sodium was detected for sample LC4. The results demonstrate that commercial carrageenans show significant heterogeneity with regards to the associated cations. The contents of the three cations in combination with the sulfate contents also suggest that a slight excess of salt is present in all carrageenans. This is most likely caused by the inclusion of some of the salt present during the manufacturing (inclusion during precipitation or gel pressing).