Hydrocolloids are a heterogeneous group of polymeric substances that mostly include polysaccharides and a number of proteins. Its name comes from the Greek word hydro (water) and kolla (glue).

Upon contact with water, it gets ‘trapped’ within its branched, polymeric structure, creating viscous dispersions or gels. This provides the food industry with the possibility of using them to generate different elasticities, textures and properties that improve food conditions.

Hydrocolloids have a wide range of applications due to their excellent properties: they can be used as a thickening or texturizing agent, increase the thickness and texture of foods, as an emulsifier or binder.

Most hydrocolloids are of natural origin, i.e., they are extracted from animals, such as gelatin; from vegetables, such as starch; or from algae, such as agar.

Although there is a wide range of hydrocolloids available to the industry, agar has been crowned as the healthiest on the market due to its healthy benefits: it reduces cholesterol and sugar absorption, has less than 0.2% fat, reduces acidity, provides minerals and regulates bowel transit due to its high fiber content.

In addition, it is the healthiest vegan and natural alternative to animal-based gelatin.

New, more ecological and healthier alternatives are continually being sought when it comes to food storage. One of the most studied options is the use of agar.

This polysaccharide is a very interesting option as it is a material whose raw material is of natural origin, renewable, biodegradable and abundant.

Some of the advantages that agar can have as a preservation alternative are:

• They reduce the speed of food decomposition.
• They are not harmful to health.
• They increase the shelf life of food and prevent the growth of some bacteria.
• They preserve texture and prevent oxidation.
• Its consumption is undetectable as it is a colorless and tasteless polysaccharide.
• Its manufacture requires a simple technology
  

This is due to the perishable nature of food, which brings important factors into play when trying to increase shelf life. This is not only an economic issue for the food industry, but having too short a shelf life is an issue that directly affects the environment: large quantities of food are wasted without being consumed and energy costs for preservation need to be increased.

In our daily lives we are accustomed to the use of plastic materials and preservatives that manage to increase (or at least stabilize) the shelf life of many foods. However, consumers are becoming more and more aware of the products they buy in stores and supermarkets, and with that comes an increasing concern about the quality and preservation methods used. In addition, society has become increasingly concerned about the environment and has rejected the use of plastics and other materials that are harmful to the environment.

If you have participated in microbiology hands-on practice to grow bacteria or fungi in Petri dishes, you have probably used agar as a culture medium. Although agar is today an essential element in laboratories, it was not always available to scientists. In early bacteriology, foods such as coagulated egg whites or meat were used to culture microorganisms.

At the end of the 19th century, the physician and microbiologist Robert Koch started to use gelatin derived from cattle bones as a solidifying agent in his laboratory. However, they found a problem with its application: the gelatin melts at 37°C, preventing bacteria from incubating when they need higher temperatures to grow optimally. In addition, many bacteria were able to degrade gelatin and even use it as a nutrient. Thus, gelatin was no longer used.

At the same time, Fanny Hesse, the wife of a scientist who was part of Robert Koch’s team and his unpaid technical assistant, recommended the use of agar to her husband after some of her friends who had traveled to Indonesia had recommended it for use in making jams and other desserts so that they would not melt in the tropical temperatures.

Thus, thanks to agar’s properties, more stable solid culture media were introduced that made it possible to isolate and study many microorganisms, being solid, transparent and sterile. However, like many other women scientists before and after her, Fanny Hesse never received any recognition or credit for her remarkable discovery.

On September 28 and 29, Agarmex will be attending the Food Tech Summit & Expo 2022, the leading Latin American event and a must for all professionals in the food and beverage industry in Mexico and Latin America.

This exhibition connects the food and beverage technology industry community in an event format that includes exhibits, training and business. The two-day trade fair will provide an opportunity to discover first-hand the latest innovations and to network at the highest level within the industry.

The event will take place at the Citibanamex center in Mexico City and will be attended by thousands of suppliers from different areas of the industry: starch, enzymes, fibers, chemical products, food processing machinery and many more.

Different spaces and areas, all related to food technology, will be available within the center: research and development, food and beverage, production process and technical management, as well as packaging and marketing.

Our company prides itself on being advised and tested by researchers and experts from the Center for Research and Assistance in Technology and Design of the State of Jalisco, the CIATEJ. In addition, we will meet with high-profile executives and get inspired by innovative ideas and business strategies.

Come and visit us at our stand 1340 and discover how we produce and market our agar-agar, both in the food and microbiology industries, its stabilizing and dietetic properties, as well as in bacteriological cultures.

The beneficial properties of algae for the skin have been known for centuries, but to see their application in industrial production we had to wait until France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was there that the first laboratories specialized in the research and development of cosmetic products began.

The first products made from algae were soaps, shaving creams, shampoos, dyes, lipsticks, tonics, make-up, foams and a wide variety of bath products. Their success was almost immediate and their demand grew. They were beneficial because of their high content of trace elements, mineral salts, vitamins and amino acids that help to maintain the good appearance of the skin, as they are directly assimilated by the skin cells.

The most common forms of application are gels, masks, emulsions, shampoos, lotions and creams, and among its many uses are toning, moisturizing, rejuvenating and anti-cellulite treatments.

Nowadays, in the composition of cosmetic products, not only algae are used, but also products derived from them, such as agar-agar. It is one of the most common elements due to its suspensive, emulsifying, stabilizing and gelling properties that avoid incorporating fat to the product, a very important characteristic when developing products for the skin. In addition, it is non-toxic and non-irritating, which is essential for people with skin problems.