Agar Powder
Agar powder (Agar-Agar) (Code E406) is a natural hydrocolloid compound extracted from red algae such as gracilaria or gelidium, which grows in marine or brackish waters, used as a coagulant and viscous agent. As one of the three most widely used algae hydrocolloids in the world, agar agar is mainly used in the food, pharmaceutical, household chemicals and biotechnology industries.
For coagulation, agar powder does not need the assistance of other coagulants or ions to form a gel, and the strong coagulant property of the compound itself enables its solution to coagulate at very low concentrations (at levels below 1%), with the coagulation bonds quite tough and strong.
In the food industry, agar powder is used as a coagulant, thickener and stabilizer. Agar forms a physical bond with a complexing agent and is therefore commonly used in soft drinks, jellies and puddings, ice cream, chewy candies, canned goods, meat products, jams and dairy products. In Japan, agar agar (also called kanten) is also used as a dietary fiber with more than 400 years of history of application in food technology.
Characteristics
Agar powder is usually odorless or lightly scented, with a white or yellowish color. In addition, agar-agar products are also processed in the form of fibers with milky white or yellow color.
Solubility
Agar-agar is usually soluble in boiling water with a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius.
Agar agar . structure
Chemical composition of agar agar: two polysaccharides: agarose and agaropectin. Agar agar consists of a mixture of two polysaccharides: agarose and agaropectin, with agarose making up about 70% of the mixture.
Agarose, which is a strong adsorbent and component in agar agar forms a non-ionic polysaccharide, is considered to consist of 1,3-linked β-D-galactopyranose and 1,4-linked anhydro-α-L- unit galattopyranose.
The Agaropectin, Non-gel fractions, are complex polysaccharides with sulfates, glucuronic acids and pyruvate aldehydes attached to it, strongly influencing solution properties, gel kinetics, and gel properties.
Agar agar calories
26 calories per 100mg powder.
Fossil formula agar agar
C14H24O9, for repeat unit
Alternative trend for gelatin
Agar agar is a vegetarian alternative to Gelatin in many food applications, and is becoming increasingly popular because of its 100% natural content and is suitable for vegetarians as well as non-pork (in areas of the world). Islamic).