Agar

Name Variations

 * agar-agar
 * agar agar
 * dai choy goh
 * kanten
 * Japanese gelatin
 * Japanese isinglass
 * Chinese gelatin
 * Chinese isinglass
 * vegetable gelatin
 * angel's hair

About Agar
Wikipedia Article About Agar on Wikipedia

Agarose (or agar) is a galactose polymer obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae or seaweed (Sphaerococcus euchema) and species of Gelidium and Gracilaria, chiefly from eastern Asia, Chile and California. It is also known as Kanten, Agar-Agar, or Agal-Agal (Ceylon Agar).

Chemically, agar is a polymer made up of subunits of the sugar galactose; it is a component of the algae's cell walls. Dissolved in hot water and cooled, agar becomes gelatinous; its chief use is as a culture medium for microbiological work. Other uses are as a laxative, a vegetarian gelatin substitute — a thickener for soups, in jellies, ice cream and Japanese desserts such as anmitsu, as a clarifying agent in brewing, and for paper sizing fabrics.