agar

Also known as agar-agar, kanten, kan-zarashi tokoroten, Japanese isinglass, China grass, Ceylon moss, Jaffna moss

thumb|Green tea-flavored yōkan, a popular Japanese red bean jelly made from agar thumb|A blood agar plate used to culture bacteria and diagnose infection

AI overview

Agar is a gel-like substance derived from seaweed that can be used to make desserts and jelly dishes, and is also widely used in laboratories to grow bacteria for medical diagnosis and research. It matters because it's a versatile ingredient that serves both culinary and scientific purposes across different cultures and fields.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

96,590 papers

Sabouraud('s) agar.ReviewJournal of medical and veterinary mycology : bi-monthly publication of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology · 1991Odds FCDOI: 10.1080/02681219180000581
Agar oligosaccharides: A review of preparation, structures, bioactivities and application.ReviewCarbohydrate polymers · 2021Chen X, Fu X, Huang L et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118076
Agar-based edible films for food packaging applications - A review.ReviewInternational journal of biological macromolecules · 2020Mostafavi FS, Zaeim DDOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.05.123
Implications of agar and agarase in industrial applications of sustainable marine biomass.ReviewApplied microbiology and biotechnology · 2020Park SH, Lee CR, Hong SKDOI: 10.1007/s00253-020-10412-6
Biosynthesis of agar in red seaweeds: A review.ReviewCarbohydrate polymers · 2017Lee WK, Lim YY, Leow AT et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.01.078
Agar clarification.Nature · 1956FEINBERG JGDOI: 10.1038/1781406a0
Current knowledge on agarolytic enzymes and the industrial potential of agar-derived sugars.ReviewApplied microbiology and biotechnology · 2017Yun EJ, Yu S, Kim KHDOI: 10.1007/s00253-017-8383-5
Media-milled agar particles as a novel emulsifier for food Pickering emulsion.International journal of biological macromolecules · 2023Chen Z, Liang G, Ru Y et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127185

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Wikidata facts

Image: Agar-agar.jpg

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affiliation string: Algues vermelles
Commons category: Agar

Sources (3)

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~18 min read

Article

16 sections

Contents

Etymology
History
Chemical composition
Physical properties
Uses
Culinary
Asian culinary
Other culinary
Microbiology
Agar plate
Motility assays
Plant biology
Other uses
See also
References
External links

thumb|Green tea-flavored yōkan, a popular Japanese red bean jelly made from agar thumb|A blood agar plate used to culture bacteria and diagnose infection

Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from the Gracilaria genus (Irish moss, ogonori) and the Gelidiaceae family (tengusa). As found in nature, agar is a mixture of two components, the linear polysaccharide agarose and a heterogeneous mixture of smaller molecules called agaropectin. It forms the supporting structure in the cell walls of certain species of algae and is released on boiling. These algae are known as agarophytes, belonging to the Rhodophyta (red algae) phylum. The processing of food-grade agar removes the agaropectin, and the commercial product is essentially pure agarose.