Waht is the substance that will absorb water and turn it into a gel like substance?

Question

It turns it into a gel like substance immediately. Starts with an A but I cant remember it for the life of me. It is driving me crazy. I think it is just a few letters, a very simple word but I can not think of it.

Answer 1

It is Agar Agar

Agar is an unbranched polysaccharide obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae or seaweed.

The word agar comes from the Malay word agar-agar (meaning jelly).

It is also known as kanten or agal-agal (Ceylon agar).

Chemically, agar is a polymer made up of subunits of the sugar galactose. Agar polysaccharides serve as the primary structural support for 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.

Answer 2

Agar is used in microbiology and mycology. It is used to solidify a nutrient solution (water and sugar for example) which a bacteria or other microorganism (fungi, etc) will grow on.

You can order it online or get it from a chemical supplier, or you can buy "agar agar" from a Japanese grocery store. It is used to make jello.

There are different types of agar recipes depending on what you're growing. For fungi, for example, Potato Dextrose Agar is a mix of agar, dextrose (corn sugar) and potato starch.

Answer 3

Agar forms gelatin when you dissolve it, but you need to add it to hot water, then allow it to cool. It is usually used for bacterial cultures in biology, but it is also used in cooking as a thickener.

Answer 4

Agar