Properties of Agarose – a Polysaccharide from Marine Red Algae

Red marine algae are an important raw material for producing agarose, a natural gel-forming substance, thickener, and stabilizer. The viscosity of a 1% solution of the polymer was determined. The temperatures of dissolution and start of gelling were measured. The time dependence of the degree of swelling of agarose and its film-forming ability were obtained. The solubility of agarose in organic solvents was studied. The time dependence of agarose dissolution on solution pH was determined.