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E406 Agar has been used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia and also as a solid substrate to contain culture media for microbiological work.
E406 Agar can be used as a laxative; an appetite suppressant; a vegan substitute for gelatin; a thickener for soups; in fruit preserves, ice cream, and other desserts; as a clarifying agent in brewing; and for sizing paper and fabrics.
E406 Agar has a high gel strength and melting temperature, meaning gels remain stable at room temperature.
CAS Number: 9002-18-0
Molecular Formula: C14H24O9
Molecular Weight: 336.33496
EINECS Number: 232-658-1
Synonyms: E406 Agar, 9002-18-0, Gelose, Ceylon, Chinese gelatin, Japan isinglass, Bengal gelatin, Layor carang, Bengal isinglass, Ceylon isinglass, Japan E406 Agar, Japanese gelatin, Macassar gelatin, E406 Agar E406 Agar flake, Chinese isinglass, Isinglass, japanese, E406 Agar (Gelidium spp.), Digenea simplex mucilage, Kantenmatsu, E406 Agargel, PhytE406 Agar, macassar gum, E406 Agaropectin (mixture with E406 Agarose), E406 Agarose (mixture with E406 Agaropectin), FEMA No. 2012, Difco bacto E406 Agar, Seaweed E406 Agar raw, Seaweed E406 Agar dried, GAM medium, E406 Agar unspecified, Oxoid III, Oxoid L 11, RefChem:915247, S 100 (polysaccharide), 3PBT7NM2M0, LPT5H1B7X5, 89T13OHQ2B, CHEBI:2509, INS-406, INS NO.406, E-406, 232-658-1, B1033, Bengal, Vegetable gelatin, MFCD00081288, C14H24O9, E406 Agar powder, E406 Agar Powder, Gum-E406 Agar, orb2664825, GYYDPBCUIJTIBM-DYOGSRDZSA-N, SY062331, F245964 E406 Agar, pure, powder Bacteriology and molecular biology grade (2R,3S,4S,5R)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-6-[[(4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2,6-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-8-yl]oxy]-4-methoxy-tetrahydropyran-3,5-diolVEGITONE MACCONKEY E406 Agar NO 1;MACCONKEY E406 Agar CS;MAC CONKEY E406 Agar NO 1;MACCONKEY E406 Agar NO 1, VEGITONE;MACCONKEY BROMOCRESOL PURPLE BROTH;MACCONKEY BROTH PURPLE;MAC CONKEY MUG E406 Agar;MACCONKEY E406 Agar WITH MUG
E406 Agar solidifies around 35–45 °C and melts at higher temperatures.
This provides thermal stability.
E406 Agar is chemically stable under normal conditions, though prolonged heating or extreme pH may cause degradation.
E406 Agar should be kept dry.
E406 Agar is widely used in food products, microbiological culture media, and pharmaceuticals.
E406 Agar provides structure and stability.
This highlights its importance.
E406 Agar is best described as a marine-derived polysaccharide with strong gelling, stabilizing, and thickening properties, widely used across food, scientific, and industrial applications.
E406 Agar demonstrates excellent water-holding capacity, allowing it to retain large amounts of water within its gel network.
This prevents syneresis (water separation).
E406 Agar shows good compatibility with sugars and acids, making it suitable for confectionery and acidic food systems.
It maintains gel structure in diverse formulations.
This increases versatility.
E406 Agar can form brittle but firm gels, unlike elastic gels formed by some other hydrocolloids.
This characteristic is useful in specific applications.
E406 Agar defines its texture profile.
The gelling behavior of E406 Agar is influenced by concentration, temperature, and ionic strength.
Adjusting these parameters changes gel strength.
This allows formulation control.
E406 Agar is often used in combination with other hydrocolloids, such as locust bean gum or carrageenan, to modify texture.
These combinations improve elasticity or reduce brittleness.
This enhances functionality.
E406 Agar exhibits high thermal stability, maintaining gel structure at room and moderately elevated temperatures.
This is important for processed foods.
It ensures consistent performance.
Chemically, E406 Agar consists mainly of E406 Agarose and E406 Agaropectin, which are linear and branched polysaccharides composed of repeating galactose units.
E406 Agarose is primarily responsible for gel formation.
This structure gives E406 Agar its unique gelling properties.
Physically, E406 Agar appears as a white to off-white powder, flakes, or strips.
E406 Agar is insoluble in cold water but dissolves in hot water, forming a gel upon cooling.
It is odorless and tasteless.
The compound exhibits strong gel-forming ability, creating firm gels even at low concentrations.
E406 Agar forms thermoreversible gels.
This is important in food and laboratory applications.
E406 Agar is a dried, hydrophilic, colloidal polysaccharide complex extracted from the E406 Agarocytes of algae of the Rhodophyceae.
The structure is believed to be a complex range of polysaccharide chains having alternating a-(1!3) and b-(1!4) linkages.
There are three extremes of structure noted: namely neutral E406 Agarose; pyruvated E406 Agarose having little sulfation; and a sulfated galactan.
E406 Agar can be separated into a natural gelling fraction, E406 Agarose, and a sulfated nongelling fraction, E406 Agaropectin.
E406 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, E406 Agar is a mixture of two components, the linear polysaccharide E406 Agarose and a heterogeneous mixture of smaller molecules called E406 Agaropectin.
E406 Agar forms the supporting structure in the cell walls of certain species of algae and is released on boiling.
These algae are known as E406 Agarophytes, belonging to the Rhodophyta (red algae) phylum.
The processing of food-grade E406 Agar removes the E406 Agaropectin, and the commercial product is essentially pure E406 Agarose.
E406 Agar is a natural polysaccharide hydrocolloid, widely used as a gelling, thickening, and stabilizing agent in food, microbiology, and pharmaceutical applications.
E406 Agar is obtained from red seaweeds (Rhodophyceae), mainly species of Gelidium and Gracilaria.
E406 Agar belongs to the class of marine-derived gums.
Melting point: 85–95 °C
bulk density: 720 kg/m³
FEMA: 2012 | E406 Agar (GELIDIUM SPP.)
storage temp.: room temp
solubility: H2O: 1.5% with heat
form: shredded
color: Brownish yellow
Odor: Odorless
pH Range: 5–7
pH: 6.5–6.8 (1.5% in gel, after autoclaving)
Odor Type: bland
biological source: synthetic
Water Solubility: SOLUBLE IN HOT WATER
Sensitive: Moisture Sensitive & Hygroscopic
Merck: 14,184
Stability: Stable. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents
Major Application: agriculture
E406 Agar exhibits thermoreversible gelation, meaning it melts when heated and solidifies again upon cooling.
This process is repeatable without significant degradation.
E406 Agar is important for laboratory and food uses.
The main component, E406 Agarose, forms a three-dimensional network structure in water.
This network traps water molecules.
This creates firm and stable gels.
E406 Agar shows high gel strength even at low concentrations (≈0.5–2%).
Small amounts produce strong gels.
This makes it highly efficient.
E406 Agar has a hysteresis between melting and gelling temperatures (melts ~85–95 °C, gels ~35–45 °C).
This provides stability at room temperature.
It prevents premature melting.
E406 Agar is non-ionic, meaning it does not interact strongly with charged molecules.
This allows compatibility with many ingredients.
This increases versatility.
E406 Agar is resistant to enzymatic degradation by most microorganisms, unlike some other polysaccharides.
This makes it ideal for microbiological media.
It maintains structure during incubation.
E406 Agar exhibits good clarity in gels, especially purified E406 Agarose.
It forms transparent gels.
This is important in analytical applications.
E406 Agar is low in calories and not digestible by humans, acting as a dietary fiber.
It passes through the digestive system largely unchanged.
This adds nutritional value.
E406 Agar is a high-strength, thermoreversible, non-ionic gelling agent with excellent stability and clarity, making it essential in food, laboratory, and industrial applications.
E406 Agar can form semi-solid and solid matrices, depending on concentration.
It is adaptable to different textures.
E406 Agar is available in various grades (food grade, bacteriological grade, E406 Agarose) depending on purity and application.
Higher purity grades are used in scientific work.
E406 Agar is a versatile hydrocolloid with strong gel formation, high water retention, and adaptable texture properties, making it essential across food, pharmaceutical, and laboratory fields.
The Gelidium species amansii and cartilageneum are the major sources of E406 Agar, although many species of Rhodophyceae are used.
The weeds (E406 Agarophytes) used in the commercial product of E406 Agar grow from the tide line out to depths of 120 ft, and are harvested by waders along the shore at low tide, raked from small boats or picked by divers.
Because E406 Agar is soluble in hot water but relatively insoluble in cold water, it is extracted by boiling the E406 Agarophyte in water, filtering, cooling to form a gel, cutting into pieces and frozen, then thawing to free the E406 Agar from salts and other impurities that are soluble in cold water.
The wet E406 Agar is repeatedly washed with cold water and finally dried.
American and Japanese E406 Agar are graded according to published specifications.
The high-quality American E406 Agar is divided into bacteriological, medicinal and dental grades, and the Japanese E406 Agar, into three grades and two subgrades.
E406 Agar is odorless or with a slight characteristic odor and mucilaginous taste.
The structure of E406 Agar is not completely known.
Chemically, E406 Agar is believed to be composed of 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose and D-galactopyranose residues in varying proportions.
An extract of certain species ofred seaweeds that is used as a gellingagent in microbiological culturemedia, foodstuffs, medicines, andcosmetic creams and jellies.
NutrientE406 Agar consists of a broth made frombeef extract or blood that is gelledwith E406 Agar and used for the cultivationof bacteria, fungi, and somealgae.
Uses:
E406 Agar is used in dairy and plant-based alternatives, such as puddings and vegan desserts.
It acts as a plant-based gelatin substitute.
This supports vegan formulations.
In microbiology, it is used as a culture medium for growing bacteria and fungi.
E406 Agar provides a stable surface for microbial growth.
This is essential in laboratory work.
It is applied in pharmaceutical formulations as a binder, laxative, and suspending agent.
It supports drug delivery and digestion.
This enhances functionality.
E406 Agar is used in cosmetic products, such as creams and gels, as a thickening and stabilizing agent.
It improves texture and consistency.
This enhances product performance.
In food preservation and processing, it helps maintain structure and prevent water separation.
E406 Agar stabilizes products during storage.
This improves shelf life.
E406 Agar is also used in biotechnology and molecular biology (E406 Agarose gels) for DNA and protein separation.
It provides a gel matrix for electrophoresis.
This supports scientific research.
E406 Agar is used wherever strong gel formation, stabilization, and structural support are required across food, laboratory, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications.
E406 Agar is used in vegan and vegetarian food products as a plant-based alternative to gelatin.
It provides structure without animal-derived ingredients.
In instant desserts and powdered mixes, it helps form gels after heating and cooling.
E406 Agar ensures consistent texture.
This improves convenience products.
E406 Agar is applied in soups and sauces as a stabilizer and thickener.
E406 Agar helps maintain uniform consistency.
This enhances product quality.
E406 Agar is used in meat analogs and plant-based products to improve texture and binding.
It helps mimic the structure of traditional foods.
This supports product development.
In frozen foods and ice creams, it helps stabilize the matrix and reduce ice crystal formation.
E406 Agar improves mouthfeel.
This enhances sensory properties.
E406 Agar is applied in pharmaceutical capsules and controlled-release systems to form gel matrices.
It supports delivery of active ingredients.
This improves functionality.
E406 Agar is used in wound dressings and biomedical applications due to its gel-forming ability.
It helps maintain moisture and structure.
This supports healing environments.
In cosmetic face masks and gels, it provides a firm, smooth gel texture.
E406 Agar creates a film on the skin.
This improves user experience.
E406 Agar is also used in plant tissue culture as a growth medium.
It supports development of plant cells and tissues.
E406 Agar is used wherever firm gel formation, plant-based structuring, stabilization, and biomedical functionality are required across food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and research applications.
E406 Agar is the most suited solidifying agent for scientific applications that require incubation temperatures closer to human body temperature.
E406 Agar is used as a medium in bacteriology and plant biology, impression material in dentistry, biofertilizer in organic farming, and salt bridges in electrochemistry.
It can be used to measure the motility and mobility of microorganism owing to the porous nature of the gel form of an E406 Agar or E406 Agarose medium.
E406 Agar is a gum obtained from red seaweeds of the genera gelidium, gracilaria, and eucheuma, class rhodophyceae.
E406 Agar is a mixture of the polysaccharides E406 Agarose and E406 Agaropectin.
E406 Agar is insoluble in cold water, slowly soluble in hot water, and soluble in boiling water, forming a gel upon cooling.
The gels are characterized as being tough and brittle, setting at 32–40°c, and melting at 95°c.
E406 Agar mainly functions in gel for- mation because of its range between melting and setting tempera- tures, being used in piping gels, glazes, icings, dental impression material, and microbiological plating. typical use levels are 0.1–2.0%.
E406 Agar is widely used in the food industry as a gelling agent (E406).
It provides structure in products such as jellies, desserts, and confectionery.
This enhances texture and stability.
In confectionery products, such as gummy candies and jellies, it creates firm gels.
E406 Agar helps maintain shape at room temperature.
This improves product quality.
E406 Agar is applied in bakery fillings and glazes to provide consistency and prevent leakage.
It stabilizes formulations.
This enhances product performance.
Safety Profile:
Ingestion is considered safe at normal dietary levels, as E406 Agar is used as a food additive and dietary fiber.
Excessive intake may cause gastrointestinal effects such as bloating or laxative action.
Adequate water intake is recommended when consumed in larger amounts.
E406 Agar is not highly flammable, but fine dust may present a dust explosion risk in confined industrial environments.
Proper dust management is required.
E406 Agar is chemically stable under normal conditions, but prolonged heating or extreme pH can cause degradation.
E406 Agar presents very low hazard potential, as it is a natural polysaccharide widely used in foods and laboratory applications and generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
It has a long history of safe use.
However, standard handling precautions are recommended for industrial forms.
Skin contact is typically low risk, but prolonged exposure to powder may cause mild dryness or irritation in sensitive individuals.
Molten E406 Agar (hot solutions) can cause thermal burns.
Protective gloves are recommended when handling hot material.
Eye contact may cause mild mechanical irritation.
Symptoms include redness and discomfort due to particulate matter.
Eyes should be rinsed with water if exposure occurs.
Inhalation of dust may cause minor respiratory irritation.
Fine powder can irritate the nose and throat.
Adequate ventilation and dust control are recommended.
