Name : ROQUE, Jesmar D.

Date: July 21, 2021

Section : BSFT 3-1N Group No.: 6
Subject : FOTE 40113 Fish and Marine Products Technology
Semester : 2nd Semester AY 2020-2021

Experiment No. 8
Extraction and Production of Gulaman (Agar-Agar)

Objectives: - To know the difference between Agar and Gelatin and determine the processes of
Gulaman or Agar-agar

Similarities and Differences of Agar and Gelatin

Agar and Gelatin are essential ingredients in the preparation of desserts

worldwide. The main difference between agar and gelatin is the source from which they
are derived. Agar is a vegetarian substitute for Gelatin since it is derived from a plant
and has higher gelling properties while gelatin is derived from collagen, usually from
animal skin and bone. (Main, 2014). No-bake desserts are commonly made
using gelatin. This is the ingredient that helps stabilize the dish so that it can be sliced
like a cake but without the need to bake.  According to the article from Under One
Ceiling (2021), these two jelly ingredients (Gulaman/Gelatin) come in two ways:
powdered or in sheets. The powdered version is the easiest to use since these are
simply dissolved in water, mixed with the other ingredients of your dish, and then
allowed to set and then commonly chilled. However, gulaman and gelatin are different in
many ways.

Table 1. Comparison of Agar-agar and Gelatin

Agar-agar
Agar is a gelatinous
substance that is originally
made from seaweed.
Agar is a chief ingredient in
desserts in certain parts of
the world
Differences Gelatin
Definition Gelatin is a colorless and
odorless substance that is
made from the collagen
found inside animal bones
and skin.
Usage Gelatin is a more popular
ingredient in desserts and
confectioneries in most parts
of the world.
 The agar used in food comes
in 2 forms – strip agar and
agar powder.
Needs to be brought to a boil
in order for the setting to
occur.
Agar melts at 85 degrees
Celsius and solidifies
between 32 and 40 degrees
Celsius.
Methodology
Figure 1. Production Processes of Agar (flowchart)
Standards in Producing Gulaman
Market Form Gelatin comes in the form of
powder, granules or sheets.
Cooking Method Can be dissolved in warm
liquid and left to set.
Properties Gelatin melts at 35 degrees
Celsius and solidifies at low
temperatures but the exact
gelling would depend upon
the concentration and time of
standing.
 A short and simplified description of the extraction of agar from seaweeds is that the
seaweed is washed to remove foreign matter and then heated with water for several hours. The
agar dissolves in the water and the mixture is filtered to remove the residual seaweed. The hot
filtrate is cooled and forms a gel (jelly) which contains about 1 percent agar. The gel is broken
into pieces, and sometimes washed to remove soluble salts, and, if necessary, it can be treated
with bleach to reduce the color. Then the water is removed from the gel, either by a freeze-thaw
process or by squeezing it out using pressure. After this treatment, the remaining water is
removed by drying in a hot-air oven. The product is then milled to a suitable and uniform particle
size. There are some differences in the treatment of the seaweed prior to extraction, depending
on the genus used. Gelidium is simply washed to remove sand, salts, shells and other foreign
matter and is then placed in tanks for extraction with hot water. Gracilaria is also washed, but it
must be treated with alkali before extraction; this alkaline pre-treatment causes a chemical
change in the agar from Gracilaria, resulting in an agar with an increased gel strength. Without
this alkaline pre-treatment, most Gracilaria species yield an agar with a gel strength that is too
low for commercial use. For the alkali treatment, the seaweed is heated in 2-5 percent sodium
hydroxide at 85-90°C for 1 hour; the strength of the alkali varies with the species and is
determined by testing on a small scale. After removal of the alkali, the seaweed is washed with
water, and sometimes with very weak acid to neutralize any residual alkali.

The filtrate is now cooled to form a gel, which is broken into pieces . This gel contains
about 1 percent agar. The remaining 99 percent is water that may contain salts, coloring matter
and soluble carbohydrates. The gel may be treated with bleach to reduce any color, washed to
remove the bleach, and allowed to soak in water so that most of the salts can be removed by
osmosis. The wash waters are drained and the remainder of the process is concerned with the
removal of the 99 percent water in the gel. Either of two methods can be used for this.

The original method of water removal is the freeze-thaw process. The gel is slowly frozen
so that large ice crystals form. The structure of the gel is broken down by the freezing so that
when the material is thawed most of the water drains away, leaving a concentrated gel that now
contains about 10-12 percent agar (this means about 90 percent of the original water content
has been removed, and with it went a high proportion of any salts, soluble carbohydrates and
soluble proteins that may have been present in the gel). Sometimes this gel is placed between
porous filter cloths and squeezed in a hydraulic press to remove more water. However, this is a
slow process, and usually the thawed material is simply drained and placed in a hot-air dryer.
After drying it is milled to the required particle size, usually about 80-100 mesh size (Mchugh,
2003).

References

Main, D.(2014). This Seaweed Gel may be the best way to Clean Old Buildings. Popular
Science. Retrieved from https://www.popsci.com/article/science/seaweed-gel-may-be-
best-way-clean-old-buildings/
Mchugh, D. (2003). Agar Production Methods. A Guide to the Seaweed Industry. Food and
Agriculture Organization- Fisheries Technical Paper. Retrieved from
http://www.fao.org/3/y4765e/y4765e06.htm
Under One Ceiling (2021). What’s The Difference: Gelatin Vs. Gulaman. Retrieved from
https://underoneceiling.com/life/health/food/whats-the-difference-gelatin-vs-gulaman/