Suppliers & Specifications: Methylcellulose
The names used to identify methylcellulose tends to be based on substitution type AND a number, their thickening ability at 2% in water (the standard measure). The suffix is part of the number... C for '00s, M fo '000s. So A40M, produces a viscosity of 40,000, which is thick.
(The A preffix originates from the Dow Chemical Company, now under the aegis of DuPont, now sold again and soon to be within IFF. The others copied it, because they could: the A itself is meaningless, just indicating methylcellulose.)
Shin Etsu don't bother with the A, C or M, they just give the viscosity indicator plus MCE prefix to show it's methylcellulose.
Shandong Head use a differnet variation: the prefix number is the thremogel temperature ; HD says it's their's: and the suffix number is the viscosity indicator.
Sadly, the manufacturers have decided to confuse their competitors and are now giving new names, such as DuPont's MX, that don't relate to their properties. I can provide a translation:
You will also find methylcellulose on eBay. Look for methylcellulose, gelation temperature 50-55C and it's probably safest to go for Methocel MX... BUT watch out for shipping costs!
Watch out too for suppliers who offer methylcellulose, but the product is actually hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. This is good for gluten free bread, but NOT for vegan burgers.
Obviously, there are many different types of methylcellulose available. Not all are suitable for the featured vegan burger, so if you are interested in those that are, go for A4M, A40M, SGA16M, A16M, MCE4000, 55HD4000, MX or Bind 250. If you are tempted to work with Bind 112, get in touch.... you'll need help.
Most of these manufacturers don’t sell direct unless you want 100’s of tonnes. They sell through distributors and to make your and my life difficult, these change according to country and also overlap, e.g. Univar handles Shin Etsu in Europe, but Dow/DuPont in the US.
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