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How Does Sucrose Affect the Gelling Properties of Agar Agar
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【Summary】
Agar is insoluble in cold water and soluble in hot water. It is a hydrocolloid extracted from algae such as Geldium and Gracilaria.
Adding different concentrations of Sucrose can increase the gel strength of Agar Agar, and the optimal use level of sucrose is 1.5%~16.0%. Exceed or below, the gel strength will decrease.
Agar Agar is a hydrocolloid obtained by extracting algae such as Geldium and Gracilaria from Pretreatment with alkali solution, water washing, boiling with a weakly acidic solution, filtering to remove impurities, solidification, dehydration, drying, and grinding.
Agar Agar is insoluble in cold water and soluble in hot water. It has unique industrial importance. It can form a fairly stable gel even at as low as 1%. It is a necessary raw material for the food industry, chemical industry, and medical research. If used in food production, it could not only change the texture of the food, but also improve the quality of the food. In addition, Agar Agar can also be used to make laxatives or other appetite-suppressing products.
BUT, How does Sucrose affect the gelling properties of Agar Agar?
Sucrose, also "Sugar", a disaccharide, which is formed by condensation and dehydration of a hemiacetal hydroxyl group of glucose and a hemiacetal hydroxyl group of fructose. Sucrose is sweet, odorless, soluble in water and glycerin, and slightly soluble in alcohol.
Now, let’s keep the concentration of Agar Agar at 1.5%, and test the effect on gel strength by adding different concentrations of sucrose.
The addition of sucrose has a significant effect on increasing the gel strength of the Agar Agar. When added in a small amount (less than 1.5%), the gel strength of the agar is slightly decreased. ↓
However, in the range of 1.5% to 16.0%, the gel strength increased rapidly with the increase of sucrose concentration, and reached the maximum value, and the strength increased by about 37%. ↑
As the sucrose concentration continues to increase, the gel strength of the Agar Agar gradually decreases. ↓
Then what about the effect of water retention performance?
It is very interesting that the water holding capacity of Agar Agar is significantly improved.
And you may also ask what about the effect of viscosity and transparency?
In the concentration range of 0~10%, the viscoelasticity is basically unchanged, and the transparency has an increasing trend.
WHY?
The addition of a small amount of sucrose molecules hinders the cross-linking of the Agar Agar molecules, resulting in a weakening of the network structure, so the gel strength of Agar Agar is slightly reduced;
With the increase of concentration of sucrose, the hydration of the sucrose molecule itself is significantly enhanced, so that the free water in the gel is reduced, and the gel network is tightly bound, so the gel strength of Agar Agar is enhanced;
When the sucrose concentration continues to increase, the Agar Agar gel is affected by the non-gelling sucrose molecule, and the gel strength decreases again.
About Gino Biotech
We are a biotech company specialized in the research, development and commercialization of innovative and technological food additives hydrocolloids Agar Agar, Carrageenan and Tailor-Made Stabilizer Solutions.
With the extended know-how and experience in the research, application and use of Hydrocolloids, we could provide one-stop-shop customized solutions perfectly matched to the needs of our customers.
Our products cover the needs of the Meat, Dairy, Bakery, Confectionery, and other industrial sectors.
