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| LINKS | to Top |
- http://biowww.clemson.edu/biolab/agar.html
- http://www.hispanagar.net
Hispanagar has been manufacturing agar and agarose for almost fifty years. The company also produces a variety of carrageenans. Site has information and Products.
| INFORMATION | to Top |
Agar is a polysaccharide found in the cell walls of some red algae and is unusual in containing sulfated galactose monomers. It requires nothing but extraction and purification to become agar, but is sometimes chemically modified into agarose for special applications. Agar: gracilaria or gelidium, is the queen of gelling agents.
Laminaria has various oddball polysaccharides like laminarin (a storage polysaccharide) and alginic acid (from cell walls). They are chemically different from agar and, to my knowledge, not widely used.
Gracalaria seaweed or Gelidium gracilaria red algae originates from the Mediterranean and Far East. Also There are three varieties of seaweeds. center>
| Key Characteristics | Description |
| Solubility in Cold Water | |
| Others | high gel strength after cooking at 1% concentration low viscosity emulsifier |
| pH | ~7.0 |
| Temperature | Agar will form gels at approximately ~35C but does not melt, once formed below 85C.< |
| Uses | icings glazes stabilizer: pie fillings, piping gels, meringues, cookies, icing or glaze, confectionery, canned meat and fish |
anionic seaweed is linear polygalactose sulfuric acid ester
linear polymer of sulfated D-glucuronic acid and agarose (a neutral polymer of agarobiose)
agarose-beta-D-gal;3 anhydro-alpha-L-gal
D-glcA=D-glucuronic acid
D-galA=D-galacturonic acid
L-gulA=L-guluronic acid
Agarose is the gelling component.Agar is a polysaccharide found in the cell walls of some red algae and is unusual in containing sulfated galactose monomers. It requires nothing but extraction and purification to become agar. It is sometimes chemically modified into agarose for special applications. Agar added to media simply gels them into a convenient solid form. In tropical countries it is sometimes used as a gelatin substitute for "jello-like" desserts. This webber was surprised with this substitute when in Indonesia several years ago. However, it emphasized the adage that facts and theory have real life application.
| REFERENCES | to Top |
- Humm, H.J. 1947. Agar- a pre-war japanese monopoly. Economic Botany 1: 317.
Updated: Wednesday, October 24, 2007.
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