Xi'an Bosen Bio-Tech Co., Ltd.
Xi'an Bosen Bio-Tech Co., Ltd.

An Overview of Agar Powder, Xanthan Gum, And Sodium Alginate

Agar Powder


Agar powder is a polysaccharide extracted from seaweed and is one of the most widely used alginates in the world. It has a wide range of applications in the food industry, daily chemicals, and bioengineering. The use of agar powder in food can significantly change the quality and improve the quality of food. However, its price is high.


Its characteristics lie in its physical and chemical properties, such as coagulation and stability. It can form complexes with certain substances and can be used as a thickener, coagulant, suspending agent, emulsifier, preservative, and stabilizer.


Xanthan gum


Xanthan gum is a white or pale yellow powder. It is soluble in water, but not in most organic solvents. Its water solution is insensitive to temperature, pH, and electrolyte concentration changes, making it stable to cold, heat, oxidants, acids, bases, and various enzymes.


The application of xanthan gum:


  • In the food industry, xanthan gum is superior to current food additives such as gelatin, CMC, seaweed gum, pectin, etc. Adding 0.2% to 1% to fruit juice gives the fruit juice good adhesion, texture, and controls permeability and flow.

  • As a bread additive, it can make the bread stable, smooth, save time, reduce costs; using 0.25% in bread stuffing, food stuffing, and sugar coating can increase taste and flavor, smooth product structure, extend shelf life, and improve product stability to heating and freezing;

  • In dairy products, adding 0.1% to 0.25% to ice cream can have an excellent stabilizing effect.

  • It provides good viscosity control in canned foods and can replace some starches. One part xanthan gum can replace 3 to 5 parts starch. At the same time, xanthan gum is also widely used in candy, seasonings, frozen foods, and liquid foods.


Sodium alginate


Sodium alginate and alginate are natural polysaccharides extracted from brown algae. They have many functions in the food industry, such as thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, texture improvers, starch anti-coagulants, and gelling agents. Alginates can be used as natural additives in various foods, such as wheat flour, noodles, frozen pasta products, and bakeries.


The functions of sodium alginate:


  • It is highly hydrophilic and can dissolve in cold and warm water to form a very viscous homogeneous solution.

  • The true solution formed has excellent properties, such as flexibility and uniformity, which are difficult to obtain with other similar substances.

  • It has a strong protective effect on colloids and a strong emulsifying ability on oil.

  • Adding metal salts to the solution will generate insoluble alginates. These metal salts are buffer agents of sodium and potassium phosphates and acetates, which can inhibit and delay coagulation.

  • It is a linear polymer electrolyte that can be made into strong fibers (alginate fibers) or films, which have the effect of preventing cracking.

  • It has low adhesion and is suitable for warp sizing and demolding, etc. It can not only increase the nutrition of food, improve product quality, increase color diversity, but also reduce costs.

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