Agar Applications 

 Maxdragon Agar Is The Best Agar In The World

Agar, also known as agar-agar by another name or kanten (寒天) in Japanese, is made from red algae. Our agar is extracted and concentrated from Gracilaria and Geliidium amansii, agar agar, which was first discovered more than 300 years ago in both Japan and China. Agarose (AG) is the kind of non-charge, neutral composition in agar.

I. Characters

Strip-shaped agar is of the milky colour and is semi-transparent, while powder- or lamellar-shaped agar is colourless, squamose, or yellowish. Agarose is a white powder that can be easily decompounded into a colloid in boiling water but is not dissolved in cold water and can be soaked and expanded into jelly.

II. Usage

Because of their unique gelation property, especially their remarkable stability, hysteresis, and water absorbability, agar and agarose have been widely used in food, medicine, chemicals, textiles, civil defense, etc., and they are worldwide known as “novel products from East Asia.”

1. Agar

a. In scientific research

· When mixed together with potassium chloride, agar can be used as the electric bridge to quickly and accurately measure the pH value of soil.

· Agar can be used in the research on electrochemistry and diffusion as well as in military sciences.

·In botanical research, a 5% agar solution can help keep small-piece plants for section usage. In the standard phytophysiological Avena test, agar is normally used as a culture carrier for oat brood cells.

· Agar is also widely used as a bacteria culture medium for brewing, medicine, aquatic products, and other biological research fields.

b. In food                                                    

· Ready to eat: It is an excellent choice in summertime when mixing agar together with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, spices, etc. Many restaurants use agar as a substitute for bird’s nest and shark’s fin. Meanwhile, in the food industry, agar can be used as an extender, thickener, emulsifier, gelatinizing agent, etc. For example, it is irreplaceable for its solidification property in sugar manufacturing and stabilisation property in ice cream manufacturing.

· For preserving meat (in Australia and New Zealand): In tropical areas where freezing facilities are not available or when troops are out for field training, digest meat together with agar. When cooling down, the layer of agar can insulate the air so that the meat can be preserved for a comparatively longer time.

c. In industry

· In the food industry, agar can be generally used as a stabilising agent; in particular, it can help enhance the milky property of ice cream and chocolate milk, still with high water absorbability and solidification.

· In the textile industry, agar can help enhance the tensile strength and antifriction of starched fabric; it can also be used as printing paste and waterproofing paste or even be used to manufacture artificial fibre.

·In the rubber industry, agar is often used as a concentration to separate water from rubber in the rubber latex.

· In the paper manufacturing industry, agar can be used as offset material to enhance the brilliancy of paper and the sorption of tower filling. Thus it is widely applied in manufacturing super-quality paper.

· In treatment for boiler water, agar can be used as a softener to treat hard water above 60-70 PPM.

· In brewing industry: agar can be used as fining agent for brewing of Japanese wine vinegar and soy sauce, European and American beer and wine, Dutch gin, etc.

·In the paint industry, agar can be used as a basic material and paste in the manufacturing of waterproofing cloth, waterproofing paper, flytrap paper, rubber bags, etc.

· Other usages: Agar is the best material for tooth moulds and the model for gypsum fine processing; cosmetics such as toilet cream can use agar as a stabilising agent or emulsifier; agar can still be used as a lubricant for bulb tungsten filaments.

4. In medicine

· Agar is harmless to human beings. It can even facilitate the wriggling of the intestinal wall, thus curing diseases such as constipation. Most pharmaceutical plants use agar as raw material for the capsules. Surgical bandage treated with agar is anticoagulative and can quickly absorb bacteria and leukocytes. Therefore, agar is also used worldwide for producing military-used bandages and other hygienic and medical equipment. Moreover, due to its flexibility and elasticity, it is especially good for binding up joint wounds. Agar is sometimes used as an emulsifier for manufacturing fish liver oil.

2. Agarose

Apart from bearing those properties mentioned above of agar, agarose is also characterised by its high purity, high gelatinous intensity, low electron-osmosis, and colorlessness; thus, it is widely used in fields such as electrophoresis, gel diffusion, and immobilised enzymes. Affinity chromatography and gel chromatography, etc. It is also a popular agent for clinical examination, biochemical analysis, and research. Agarose can also be used for manufacturing alternative plasma. Anticoagulative, hemostat, etc. Besides, agarose can often be used as a neuroleptic and emulsifier.

With the development of science and technology, both agar and agarose are known and applied by more and more people. We believe that they surely hold a bright prospect!