Carrageenans can either be harvested directly from seaweed beds in the ocean or farmed in controlled settings. Typical harvesting areas include the Americas, Europe and Asia, including China, Japan, Korea and Philippines. Depending on the type of water and growing conditions, unique species will provide different characteristics to the resulting carrageenans. After harvesting, carrageenans are generally processed into fully refined or semi-refined products. Fully refined products are processed either using an alcohol-precipitation method or a gel-press method.