Emerging patterns, impact, and collaborative networks of global scientific output on carrageenan and digestive problems: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The study aimed to analyze the current trends and spatiotemporal dynamics of research on carrageenan and digestive problems through a bibliometric study from 2019 to 2024.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The literature published on carrageenan and digestive issues from the period of January 2019 until July 2024 was examined using an observational and descriptive approach. The use of a quantitative approach was made in relation to authorship distribution and collaboration, country collaboration, and the evolution of themes. A search of the Scopus database was conducted with different keywords of “Carrageenan” and “Digestive problems.” Analysis and visualization of the data were done with the use of SciVal and RStudio software.

RESULTS:

Between 2019 and 2024, a significant increase in publication activity occurred, with associated variations in publication types and pronounced growth in international collaboration. In regard to scientific production, there was an average year-on-year increase of 18.98%, with an average age of the papers of 3.2 years and an average of 15.72 citations per article. A total of 889 authors produced the articles, with an average of 6.71 co-authors per paper and 21.33% international collaborations. Notable institutions producing articles include the Ocean University of China, which produced seven articles, and Jimei University, which produced five articles. The scientific production was highest in China (40), followed by Brazil and Japan, and while most authors contributed a single article, there was a lack of equal scientific productivity accumulated in the articles.

CONCLUSIONS:

The results highlight both the importance and the need to investigate carrageenan and its impact on digestive issues that might yield exciting avenues of research. The number of publications being produced regarding this foundational aspect of research continues to be relevant. The examination of literature also illustrated the key role of international collaborations and changing research agendas in dealing with the challenges related to digestive problems.

Introduction

Carrageenan, a polysaccharide derived from red algae, is a commonly used substance in the food and pharmaceutical industry because of its thickening, gelling, and stabilizing properties.[1] Carrageenan is used in various food products, including dairy, dairy desserts, sauces, and processed meats, as well as in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and personal care products.[2] Its stabilizing properties and ability to enhance the texture of products led to its quick adoption in various consumer products.

However, with this shift, increased scrutiny surrounding carrageenan consumption has emerged in relation to gastrointestinal health. Studies have linked the excess consumption of carrageenan to gastrointestinal inflammation, intolerance, and impairment of gut microbiota, which may intensify gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome.[3] In vitro and animal studies have shown the potential for carrageenan exposure to elicit proinflammatory responses, which poses questions concerning long-term consumption.[4] These concerns have created some cause for debate concerning the safety of carrageenan consumption and the need to study its impact, if any, on gastrointestinal health.

Given the growing concern surrounding the potential risks of carrageenan, it is essential to critically examine the scientific output addressing this issue. It is important to conduct a systematic review of the global literature related to carrageenan and gastrointestinal health in order to discover patterns, gaps in knowledge, and collaborative networks. Bibliometric analyses have been identified as an effective tool to track the development of scientific conversations, estimate their impact on academia, and present emerging issues.[5] In fact, bibliometric analyses have been executed on other food ingredients, such as monosodium glutamate or artificial sweeteners.[6,7]

A bibliometric analysis of carrageenan would have an important effect, for instance, providing identification of key areas of study, most prominent authors, and institutions leading the research, which would allow constructing interdisciplinary collaborative networks for carrageenan research.[8] Furthermore, it would aid in identifying research gaps and informing future lines of research. This analysis would allow for studying the academic impact of the topic, unveiling publication trends, and identifying the methodological approaches taken, while providing specific data on carrageenan-related literature that could inform decision-making processes for public policymakers and commercial industry sectors, aiding in making informed decisions regarding the safety of carrageenan in both food and pharmaceutical applications.[9]

The purpose of this study was to identify emerging patterns in research on carrageenan related to digestive health, document the extent of existing evidence, and explore collaborative networks among researchers working in this field. In doing so, it is intended to better illuminate the possible risks associated with its consumption and contribute to an informed discussion about its use in the food industry and pharmaceutical products.

Materials and Methods

Study design

A bibliometric study was conducted with a descriptive approach and detailed the literature on carrageenan and digestive problems. Quantitative approaches were adopted to explore document production analysis, collaboration between authors and countries, and theme evolution. The Reporting and Measurement of Items for Bibliometric or Scientometric Studies in Health Sciences[10] was used to report the manuscript findings.

Search strategy

A comprehensive search of the Scopus database was conducted on January 9, 2025, using a combination of keywords related to “Carrageenan” and “digestive problems.” The search was limited to articles published between January 2019 and July 2024. The following formula was applied: TITLE-ABS (“Chondrus” OR “Eucheuma” OR “Agar-agar” OR “Red algae” OR “Gigartina” OR “κ-carragenina” OR “Kappa-carragenina” OR “Iota-carragenina” OR “Lambda carragenina” OR “carrageenan” OR “Carrageenan” OR “Gelidales” OR “Marine polysaccharide” OR “Seaweed gelling substance” OR “Seaweed” OR “Seaweed alginate”) AND TITLE-ABS (“gastrointestinal tract” OR “intestinal inflammation” OR “Digestive tract” OR “Intestinal microbiota”) AND PUBYEAR > 2018 AND PUBYEAR < 2025. Initially, the metadata of 150 documents was identified, of which there were 116 articles, 22 reviews, 8 book chapters, 2 conference papers, 1 short survey, and 1 note.

Selection criteria

All articles explicitly addressing the topics of carrageenan and digestive issues were included in the appendix. The broad inclusion allowed for the variability of research and perspectives within this subject. However, there were exceptions, and all articles that were not in English were excluded because they may have inaccurate translations; these variations may necessarily make the analysis inaccurate. In addition, articles with little information for scientometric analysis were excluded.

Procedures

As part of its analysis, the data were analyzed using SciVal as one of its primary tools and then R Studio version 4.5.2 (Boston, USA). First, an extensive search was performed in SciVal (Elsevier, Netherlands) starting from keywords that were relevant to our research. The outcomes returned that were relevant were downloadable in a format that is compatible with Bibliometrix, a package that enables bibliometric analysis in R. After this initial data export, the data were imported into Bibliometrix for analysis. Bibliometrix has a substantial theoretical underpinning for the quantitative analysis of text data in bibliometrics, allowing accurate document production, author collaborations, and topic development.

Data analysis

Several analyses were conducted to examine, among others, document production, the collaboration among authors and countries, and the evolution of the themes, since we applied Bradford’s law to assess the distribution of publications and Lotka’s law to examine the productivity of authors. We also produced a map of collaboration on a country level to show the interactions of the countries, as well as studied the thematic evolution from country collaboration and time, identifying the main themes over time. All the analysis was performed using SciVal and RStudio.

Results

In this study, from 2019 to 2024, we analyzed 150 documents from 109 sources, with an annual growth rate found to be 18.98%. The documents had an age of 3.2 years, an average of 15.72 citations per document, and the documents had a total of 9739 references. We found a total of 601 terms from the authors’ keywords. A total of 889 authors were involved, with only 3 solely authored papers with an average of 6.71 co-authors for each paper. Of the collaborations, 21.33% were international. The breakdown of types of papers included: 116 articles, 22 reviews, 8 book chapters, 2 conference papers, 1 note, and 1 short survey [Table 1].

Table 1.

Main information on carrageenan and digestive problems

Description	Results
Timespan	2019:2024
Sources	109
Documents	150
Annual growth (%)	18.98
Document average age	3.2
Average citations per doc	15.72
References	9739
Author’s keywords	601
Authors	889
Authors of single-authored docs	3
Single-authored docs	3
Co-authors per doc	6.71
International co-authorships (%)	21.33
Article	116
Book chapter	8
Conference paper	2
Note	1
Review	22
Short survey	1

Nakonechna Oksana A., affiliated with Kharkiv National Medical University, Ukraine, demonstrated a consistent research output comprising four publications, with an average of 8.2 citations per article and a total of 33 citations. Similarly, Onishchenko Anatolii I., from the NASU Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine, Ukraine, produced four publications with an identical citation profile, averaging 8.2 citations per document and accumulating 33 citations overall. Tkachenko Anton S., affiliated with Charles University, Czech Republic, also contributed four publications with the same citation metrics, reflecting comparable scholarly impact across the authors analyzed [Table 2].

Table 2.

Top 10 most productive authors on carrageenan and digestive problems

Author	Affiliation	Country	Scholarly output	Citations per publication	h-index	Citation count
Nakonechna, Oksana A.	Kharkiv National Medical University		4	8.2	8	33
Onishchenko, Anatolii I.	NASU-Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine		4	8.2	9	33
Tkachenko, Anton S.	Charles University		4	8.2	12	33
Chumachenko, Tetyana O.	Kharkiv National Medical University		3	8.3	13	25
Gubina-Vakulik, Galina I.	Kharkiv National Medical University		3	7.7	5	23
Jiang, Zedong	Jimei University		3	5	28	15
Ni, Hui	Jimei University		3	5	30	15
Prokopіuk, V. Yu	NASU - Institute for Problems of Cryobiology and Cryomedicine		3	8.3	10	25
Zheng, Mingjing	Jimei University		3	5	19	15
Zhu, Yanbing	Jimei University		3	5	20	15

Among the most productive institutions in the period from 2019 to 2024, the Ocean University of China stood out with 7 publications, accumulating 139 citations and an average of 19.9 citations per publication. Jimei University, also in China, produced 5 publications with 60 citations and an average of 12 citations per publication. Proper institutional names should not be translated into English because they are official designations that uniquely identify an organization. Translating them may create ambiguity or refer to a different institution; therefore, the original name should be retained for accuracy and traceability. produced 4 publications, with 123 citations and an average of 30.8 citations per publication. The University of New South Wales in Australia had 3 publications, with 64 citations and an average of 21.3 citations per publication [Table 3].

Table 3.

Top 10 most productive institutions on carrageenan and digestive problems

Institution	Country	Scholarly output	Citations	Authors	Citations per publication	Field-weighted citation impact
Ocean University of China		7	139	26	19.9	1.15
Jimei University		5	60	21	12	1.39
University of Porto		5	75	10	15	1.44
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas		5	77	21	15.4	0.57
Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho		4	123	9	30.8	0.84
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine		4	33	3	8.3	0.92
Kharkiv National Medical University		4	33	17	8.3	0.92
University of New South Wales		3	64	4	21.3	1.79
Ningbo University		3	56	15	18.7	1.78
Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University		3	54	8	18	1.4

Among the most productive journals in this field, the “International Journal of Biological Macromolecules” stood out, which had an academic contribution of 9 publications, averaging 7.2 citations per article and a CiteScore of 13.7. It was followed by “Food Hydrocolloids” and “Marine Drugs” with 4 publications each, exhibiting remarkable citation per publication ratios of 31.5 and 25.8, respectively. Other important journals included “Aquaculture,” “Carbohydrate Polymers,” “Food Chemistry,” and “Food Research International,” each with 3 publications and with various significant citation metrics and CiteScores. In particular, “Food Chemistry” stood out with the highest number of views per publication (62.3). Finally, the journals “International Journal of Molecular Sciences,” “Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture,” and “Microorganisms” also contributed with 3 publications each, completing this top 10 with relevant and varied data [Table 4].

Table 4.

Top 10 most productive journals on carrageenan and digestive problems

Scopus source	Scholarly output	Citations per publication	CiteScore 2023	Views per publication
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules	9	7.2	13.7	17.8
Food Hydrocolloids	4	31.5	19.9	42.8
Marine Drugs	4	25.8	9.6	30.8
Aquaculture	3	10	8.6	35.7
Carbohydrate Polymers	3	23	22.4	26.7
Food Chemistry	3	38.7	16.3	62.3
Food Research International	3	34.7	12.5	43.7
International Journal of Molecular Sciences	3	16	8.1	57
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture	3	1.3	8.1	32
Microorganisms	3	7.3	7.4	15

According to the Bradford’s law, research on carrageenan and digestive problems was distributed as follows among the scientific journals. In Zone 1, the most productive journals included “International Journal of Biological Macromolecules” with 9 publications, followed by “Food Hydrocolloids” and “Marine Drugs” with 4 publications each. Other relevant journals in this zone were “Aquaculture,” “Carbohydrate Polymers,” “Food Chemistry,” “Food Research International,” “International Journal of Molecular Sciences,” “Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture,” and “Microorganisms,” all with 3 publications each. Zone 2 included journals such as “Journal of Applied Phycology” and “Journal of Functional Foods,” each with 2 publications, while others such as “Acta Medica” and “Adsorption” contributed 1 publication each. Finally, in Zone 3, there were journals such as “Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology” and “Frontiers in Immunology,” all with 1 publication, thus completing the distribution according to the Bradford’s law [Figure 1].

Figure 1.

Core sources

According to the analysis in terms of Lotka’s Law, there is a predictable pattern of scientific production. A total of 799 authors, that is approximately 89.9% of authors, published one paper only. Compared to 68 authors who published two papers, which was about 7.6% of authors. Furthermore, a total of 18 authors wrote three papers which was about 2%. Finally, there were two authors who wrote four papers and two authors who wrote five papers (both of which were about 0.2% of authors). The data supported Lotka’s claim about an unequal distribution in scientific authorship [Figure 2].

Figure 2.

Author productivity

The thematic evolution of research between 2019 and 2024 demonstrated notable continuity across specific topics. In particular, areas such as alginate and fucoidan showed a high degree of stability, reflected by a weighted inclusion index and inclusion index of 1.00, as well as a stability coefficient of 1.00 across the periods 2019–2020 and 2021–2022. These findings indicate sustained scholarly attention and conceptual coherence within these thematic domains over time. Similarly, the gut microbiota demonstrated some stability and change with transition showing a move from topics like carrageenan and prebiotics in 2021–2022 to gut inflammation in 2023–2023. Moreover, both colitis and carrageenan research also showed high stability and continuity over development. There was no change in research continuity concerning alginate, carrageenan (all polysaccharides), and marine algal studies from the beginning. However, marine algae and intestinal microbiota research demonstrated substantial thematic development, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3.

Thematic evolution

The analysis of the international scientific collaborations produced interesting results on the Country Collaboration Map. Argentina collaborated with Bangladesh once; Australia had collaborations with Canada and Thailand; Austria had interactions with Belgium, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, and Austria had distinct interactions with the United Kingdom residing in the map with a high frequency; Brazil collaborated with Australia, Canada, and Norway each once; China collaborated strongly with the United States three times and collaborated with Belarus, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom; and Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Portugal, Spain, and United Kingdom accented a range of relatively diverse international collaborations. Spain collaborated with Portugal on three occasions. The map illustrates the network of global scientific collaborations and how they collaborated as part of a network of research [Figure 4].

Figure 4.

Country collaboration map

In the field of research on carrageenan and digestive problems, there was a remarkable global distribution of scientific output based on the countries of the corresponding authors. China led with 40 articles, representing 26.7% of the total, of which 34 were single-authored papers (SCP), and 6 were multiauthored papers (MCPs), reaching 15% of MCP. Brazil, with 9 (6%) articles, had 7 SCP and 2 MCP, achieving 22.2% of MCP. Japan contributed 8 (5.3%) articles, with 6 SCP and 2 MCP, achieving 25% MCP. Australia presented 6 (4%) articles, with 5 SCP and 1 MCP, achieving 16.7% of MCP. Other countries, such as India, Indonesia, Korea, Portugal, and the United States, each with 5 (3.3%) articles, maintained a similar proportion between SCP and MCP, with 20% MCP each [Figure 5].

Figure 5.

Corresponding author’s countries

Discussion

This bibliometric report aims to quantitate the quantity of scientific articles published on the use of carrageenan for treating digestive disorders from 2019 to 2024. In this time frame, a total of 150 documents were identified. Most of these documents had a publication type of an original research or review article. Moreover, the articles published for the same interval on monosodium glutamate had an average citation number of 15.72 per document.[6] This difference could be attributed to the recent increase in interest of the scientific community regarding potential adverse impacts of carrageenan that may affect digestive health; it is a topic that has been getting greater debate and attention more recently. In addition, carrageenan can also be used in both the food and pharmaceutical industries, which can also lead to greater visibility and discussion in scientific literature, which is different for monosodium glutamate that is limited to just the food industry.

In the case of authorship, the analysis showed that 50% of the most productive researchers were from Ukraine and 40% from China, while the overall ranking of scientific production was held by China. This supposed discrepancy can be explained by the existence of a more important research network, which is, in turn, less concentrated in China, where pairs of teams produce many publications, but the average individual productivity is lower. Visible collaboration has also been observed between authors from China and the USA, something that is also very evident in antimicrobial resistance,[11] since this pattern may be strongly reduced by the current political tensions between both countries.[12]

According to the scientific output measured by institution, the Ocean University of China ranks the highest in publications in this area. Their most recent study was an experiment completed with mice that demonstrated carrageenan can increase the risk of colitis when fed a high sucrose or salt diet,[13] showing the need for research on this compound’s negative impacts. On the contrary, the Universidade Estadual São Paulo Júlio de Mesquita Filho excels not only for the quantity of publications but also for academic influence (30.8 citations per article, on average), making it the most important institution. The journal with the most published articles relating to our research theme is the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, with 9 publications. This coincides with the bibliometric analysis of scientific output relating to enzymatic thermostability in the past 30 years,[14] rendering our journal the most productive. The International Journal of Biological Macromolecules is also the most cited journal for research on bicomponent in lignocellulosic biomass in the orthopedic area.[15] This means that the journal has significant relevance in interdisciplinary research and is a significant source of high-impact publications across all branches of scientific research, making it a key journal for research related to molecular and macromolecular biology.

The observed trend in productivity presents a profile typical of emerging scientific systems. Research is oriented toward specific publications, but not toward programs based on this nature of research.[16] This distribution suggests that the area is in an exploratory phase, as there are no specialized groups supporting lines of research, nor are there highly productive authors, a characteristic of areas of recent study. This indicates that, as demonstrated by the publications, the search is for new lines of research in the field.

The results of keyword analysis show a clear change in research strategy with respect to the types of polysaccharides studied. While in 2019 to 2020, the majority of the studies concerned the exploration of marine-derived polysaccharides that include “alginate” and “fucoidan,” by 2021 to 2022, the emphasis had changed to exploring their links with intestinal microflora and inflammation-related diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. As shown in Liu et al.’s work,[17] keywords associated with gut microbiome and colitis became more prevalent in scholarly articles and abstracts compared to the previous research periods. Instead of reiterating these observations, a deeper level of questioning arises from the transition from marine-derived polysaccharides to gut microbiota.

Although there exists a substantial amount of information concerning “carrageenan” and its association with various digestive disorders, there is no clear unifying framework that links bibliometric trends with their implications within the context of digestive disorders. The trends and patterns of research productivity, international collaboration, and thematic evolution have been well characterized; however, there is no transition between these types of findings and practical applications to food safety, regulatory science, or clinical practice. Therefore, without a clear mechanism for such an analytical transition, the current discussion will only serve as a descriptive account of carrageenan’s association with digestive disorders and will not consider the potential influence of research dynamics on policy development and decision-making.

This bibliometric study has a set of limitations that must be considered when drawing conclusions. First, the bibliometric analysis was only carried out on articles published in the Scopus database, which is recognized in the scientific field as it is a database of articles and journals selected through a rigorous evaluation process,[18] but which does not include all scientific production, especially those scientific publications that may be in databases other than the one in which the analysis was carried out. This issue may have prevented the inclusion of interesting scientific works due to their quality that are not found in the Scopus database. Second, the bibliometric analysis was carried out only on articles published since 2019, which is why certain publications of great interest published previously may have been left aside, which limits the general view in which all scientific production on this subject could have been counted. Finally, we must point out that the information from the bibliometric exercise that allowed us to conduct the bibliometric analysis is numerical, which allows for a count of scientific production, citations, and the different types of authorship. However, it does not allow for a qualitative assessment of the impact that scientific production may have had on scientific knowledge. This is impossible to perform in an assessment that can evaluate aspects such as the relevance and quality of scientific contributions and their influence on the advancement of the field of study.

The bibliometric data collected during this study provide numerous implications for regulatory bodies, industry stakeholders, as well as prospective researchers. The increased quantity of publications regarding carrageenan around the world suggests that regulating bodies should pay close attention to the amount of research available that will help establish standards and provide the scientific basis for making policy decisions. Further, the proliferation of published studies on this topic indicates that the food industry should be proactive by considering regulatory considerations when formulating products in order to be prepared for any type of scrutiny related to the effectiveness and safety of those products that are submitted to regulatory authorities for review. In addition, based on the authorship dispersion within the studies analyzed, researchers have an opportunity to form collaborative networks, develop greater methodological rigor within the field, and utilize new and innovative approaches from different disciplines to study this topic. Overall, it can be concluded that bibliometrics has a dual role as a descriptive and strategic tool to promote governance, innovation, and scientific development.

The key limitation of this bibliometric analysis is that it provides only a numerical summary of existing literature; it does not consider the quality of research. Thus, further work in this area should provide more in-depth analysis of carrageenan and digestive issues, utilizing both bibliometric results and content analysis for a complete understanding of the scientific, regulatory, and clinical issues of this expanding field.

Conclusions

The study used a database that showed an increase in output of 18.98% (which equates to 150 documents), a source of 109 different journals, and an average of 15.72 citations per document. There were also 889 individual authors involved, and international collaborative efforts made up approximately 21.33% of the published papers. Two sections of the analysis were devoted to highlighting specific institutions which have many published articles in these areas, as well as pointing out the journals that published the most highly cited articles, especially the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. The findings of this analysis demonstrate that there is considerable interest in carrageenan research, especially concerning digestive disorders. These findings also identify key aspects of carrageenan research, define conceptual areas, and demonstrate the attributes of carrageenan research through its thematic evolution, thereby establishing a basis for the development of future bibliometric and scientometric research into new or significantly developing areas of research.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

Funding Statement

Nil.