Agar Agar

Properties

Agar agar is a thermos-reversible gel and is considered to be the strongest natural gelling agent. It is odor and colorless. It gels even at low concentrations. It is completely soluble in boiling water but also can be dissolved even at low temperatures. It gels at a temperature from 35 to 45C and melts at temperatures from 80 to 95C making it the only hydrocolloid that can gel at sterilization temperatures. Agar Agar has good synergies with sugar and with different hydrocolloids.

 Features

E-No. E 406
Origin Seaweed extract
Chemical composition Galactose and anhydro-galactose;
low sulfate content (<4.5%, mostly 1.5–2.5%)
Nutritional value (in 100 g) – metabolism 1425 kJ (340 kcal);
slow resorption
Fiber content 2.2% (42% protein, 36% carbohydrates)
Toxicology No health concerns, consumption generally
1–2 g per day (mild laxative effect at 6 g per day);
no ADI value defined;
considered as food in Asia, not as an additive
Solubility at low temperature (H2O) Insoluble
Appearance of an aqueous solution Opaque, yellowish
Viscosity of solution in water Low, insoluble in cold water
Impact of heat on viscosity in water (pH 7) Soluble at T>80 °C (176 °F)
Viscosity development in water at pH 7
(T=0–100 °C) 		Forms a thermoreversible gel after the dissolution
and cooling to 35 °C (95 °F) (gel melts at
T>85 °C (185 °F))
Shear stability High
Thickening effect High (gel formation)
pH stability Medium, hydrolysis by cooking in an acidic system
Decomposition Combination of heat+low pH (below pH 4)
Film formation High
Emulsion stabilization No
Gelation Thermoreversible gelation after heating to
T>80 °C (176 °F) and cooling to 35 °C (95 °F); also gels in saturated sugar solutions; gelation temperature is independent of sugar concentration
Gel strength and gel stability High gel strength, gels are highly heat-stable
Gel transparency Low
Tendency for gel synaeresis High
Impact of electrolytes (cations +, 2+, 3+) No
Reaction with Ca2+ ions No
Protein activity Low/no
Crystallization control No
Synergistic effects with other hydrocolloids + LBG or guar: less syneresis, more elasticity;
+ 10% LBG: maximum gel strength (+8%);
+ 10% konjac: maximum gel strength
Other synergistic effects Enhanced gel strength with high sugar concentrations (>60%) for some agar types
Negative interactions Tannic acid can inhibit the gelling process;
gum karaya reduces the gel strength of agar gels;
Proton scavengers like potassium iodide, urea,
Guanidine, sodium thiocyanate, and so on block the gelling process and prevent agarose gel formation
Dosage level in foods Low, typical 0.5-2%, gelation already at 0.2%

Applications

Foods

  • Bakery
    Cake icings, Pie fillings, Bread dough, Chiffon pies
  • Beverages
    Clarifying and refining juices, beers, wines, and vinegars
  • Dairy Products
    Ice Creams, Puddings, Flans, Yogurts, Fermented Milk, Sorbets, Gelled Milk 
  • Meat Products
    Pureed Meats, Canned fish, Poultry 
  • Sweets and Confectionary
    Gumdrops, Candy bars, Jelly candies, Jams, Marmalades, Comfitures, Dessert Gel, Meringues

Other

  • Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry
    Microbiology, Laxative, Therapeutic agent, Suspension agent of emulsion, Stabilizing agent of solution.
  • Other applications
    Dental prosthetics, Electrophoresis, Chromatography, Impression materials, Biotechnology

Meet Our Awsome Team

Ed McCormick

Ed is CEO of EnvironMolds LLC. Cape Crystal Brands is the subsiduary of EnvironMolds which Ed founded in 1998. Ed is a prolific writer and the author of several non fiction books, as well as six cookbooks. He is both a food writer and food entrenprenuer.

Helen Zhao

Helen is our General Manager of Operations. She wears many hats including overseeing sales, importing, purchasing, packaging and shipping. She has been with the company since 2002. She is multi-lingual in English and Chinese.

Robert Gillbert

Robert Gill is the Marketing and IT Manager for Cape Crystal Brands.

Our Story

Every great idea starts with a problem. Ours was simple enough, really: time and time again, we found ourselves struggling with low quality cooking materials and ingredients. More often than not, the ingredients already available on the market were either too costly, or more trouble than they were worth.

The need for a brand of reliable, premium quality, and affordable natural and modified organic food products we could rely on for our gastronomical endeavors was becoming painfully apparent - and that's the how and why of creating Cape Crystal. We're a modern, 21st century company with a singular goal in mind: we want to provide our amateur cook and professional chef customers with a wide range of natural and organic premium quality ingredients - without charging our customers an arm and a leg!

We're aware, however, that "just" providing top-notch quality products is not going to cut it - not in today's fiercely demanding world. Everything evolves, and so must we; that's why, unlike many of our competitors, we pride ourselves in pushing the boundaries of modernist cooking and molecular gastronomy, constantly introducing new products and ingredients for our customers to create with!

And we're glad to be able to say that all that attention to detail and quality actually pays off! We already enjoy a growing portfolio of satisfied customers, which bears testimony to what our customers are always looking for - quality, value and reliability.

Of course, this only drives us to strive to become even better, because what's of utmost importance to us is our customers' total satisfaction. After all, it's what keeps us in business!