Agar powder also has these uses

Agar powder is a kind of gel-like substance that can be used in food and medicine. Due to its high coagulation degree, it can be used to make jelly, various desserts, soft candies and other foods. At the same time, the pectin rich in agar powder can also be used in medicines to enhance viscosity. It is a harmless item.

Agar powder differences and their respective uses

Agar and carrageenan are extracts from seaweed and have different applications.

Agar is composed of two parts: agarose and agaropectin. Agarose, as a gelling agent, is a non-ionic polysaccharide without sulfate esters (salts). It is a component that forms gel. Its macromolecular chain segments are β-D-pyranose galactose residues and 3, 6-α-L-pyranose galactose residues alternately connected by 1, 3 glycosidic bonds. Agar pectin is the non-gel part, which is a complex polysaccharide with sulfates, glucuronic acid and pyruvic acid aldehyde, and is also the part that commercial extraction attempts to remove. The color of industrial agar ranges from white to slightly yellow, has a gelatinous texture, and is odorless or has a slight characteristic odor. Agar is insoluble in cold water, easily soluble in boiling water, and slowly soluble in hot water.

Uses of Agar

First of all, agar is non-nutritive, which means that ordinary organisms, even microorganisms, cannot decompose it (although agar is a sugar). Therefore, it is often used as a biological culture medium or some drug carriers. In addition, it is more widely used in the food industry as a thickener and coagulant. Agar melts at around 90 degrees and solidifies at around 40 degrees. It is added to commonly eaten jellies and jelly, and can be said to be harmless. Suspending agents, emulsifiers, stabilizers and preservatives may also be used. It is widely used in making orange juice and various beverages, jellies, ice cream, cakes, soft candies, canned foods, meat products, eight-treasure porridge, white fungus and bird's nests, soup foods, and cold foods.

Carrageenan

It is composed of polysaccharide sulfate formed by galactose and anhydrogalactose and 3.6-anhydrogalactose straight-chain polymers. Powdered carrageenan is stable and will not hydrolyze even when heated. Carrageenan has good milk protein reaction ability and can prevent whey separation after adding CMC. Uses in ham and minced meat products: Using this product can make the product have good elasticity, good slicing properties, moderate toughness and crispness, and tenderness, smoothness and refreshing taste. Use in cold drinks: Carrageenan has good milk protein reaction ability and can prevent the separation of whey after adding CMC. Uses in soft candy foods: Carrageenan soft candy has good transparency, bright color, uniform and smooth texture, low stickiness, and a crisp taste. Uses in dairy foods: Carrageenan can gel the milk and act as a gelling agent. It plays a suspending and stabilizing role in cocoa milk, cocoa malted milk and cocoa candy syrup. In yogurt, soft cheese and cream, it can stabilize milky mixtures and induce gel formation. Uses in liquor and beer: It can be used as a clarifier and a foam stabilizer. Uses in artificial protein fibers and artificial meat: By adding carrageenan and sodium alginate during the batching process, the protein does not need to undergo an aging process, and low-concentration or unpurified protein solutions can also be used for spinning, and the strength and water absorption of the spinning can also be improved. When artificial protein fibers are further used to make artificial meat, carrageenan can also be used as a binder.