Agar Agar Powder

What is agar-agar powder? Agar-agar is a member of the galactan polysaccharide family. Galactan polysaccharides are long chains of sugar that are made up of 22 galactose molecules. They have a complex structure. It is found in the cell walls of red algae in the class Rhodophyceae. There are numerous varieties of marine algae that are present all over the world and used to make agar. Most of the agar-agar sold in stores comes from species of Gelidium and Gracilaria. Pterocladia and Gelidiella are two other species that are often used. Bacteriological-grade agar is used in clinical settings, auxotrophic studies, studies of how bacteria and yeast grow, bacterial molecular genetics, and tissue cultures from both plants and animals. The final concentration of agars in culture media is between 1% and 2%. We use culture media with less agar (0.05–0.5%) to study motility (0.5% w/v) and the growth of anaerobes (0.1%) and microaerophiles. Agar-agar is a natural hydrocolloid made from Gelidium an