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Agar-agar is an extract powder from red seaweeds of the genera Gelidium, Gracilaria and Pterocladia. Uses have included making jellies and emulsions and for stabilisation of foods. In Japan agar-agar is called Kanten, meaning literally cold gel, which alludes to the small indsutrial method of production by a freeze-thaw routine. The name agar-agar is in fact Malayan, where agar means gelatin. As is the custom in the Polynesian languages, the repeated word gives an emphasis which then translates as pure-gelatine. For more than 300 years, the beneficial dietary effects have been known in the Far East (Japan , China , Korea and Indonesia) and culinary use has been widespread. Popular culture associates consumption with longevity, and agar-agar is generally consumed for joint problems and to help with satiety in the diet. |