DIY Agar from scratch

Morelman · 03-04-07, 01:33

I was asked to post this over here at Mycotopia.
I found a good deal on 3lbs of natural agar-agar. It is the lower grade agar known as Gracilaria lichenoides. The plus side is that the agar can be extracted by simple boiling.

03-04-07, 08:27

lol, that looks cool

so what do you intend to do with that?

Lazlo · 03-04-07, 09:23

I was wondering what you were going to do with that stuff. Looks easy enough!

Morelman · 03-04-07, 13:19

Once the impurities are removed and it is de-watered. I'll see about making a few plates for testing.

Foster · 03-04-07, 22:57

Very nice! Some follow ups with pics would be great! Love to see It in use!

foster

Morelman · 03-05-07, 13:23

From what I have read. After this bout of de-watering I should be left with 20% agar. This is just the agar that set in the cupcake pans.
The three gallons in one of the pictures in this thread was boiled down to just one gallon. I think most of the water was removed from that batch by boiling it. I have that gallon outside freezing now.
Once that one is frozen and then thawed. I'm going to combine the two batches and boil them down together.

Bobcat · 03-06-07, 10:06

Nice. Agar is expensive so if this works out nicely you will have made an awesome discovery. Cost of the seaweed? Where to get it?

Morelman · 03-06-07, 12:49

http://cgi.ebay.com/Agar-Agar-NATURA...QQcmdZViewItem

This is the supplier I used. The whole seaweed is no longer available (I bought it at closeout prices) but they do have the 1lb powdered stuff.

The sellers name is Marilyn. If you want the whole seaweed maybe you could ask her to stock some more. I tried to get the name of her supplier with no luck.

Another option (if you have a saltwater fish tank) is to buy live Gracillaria and grow your own. You could check your local pet store for some.

Lazlo · 03-06-07, 13:09

Nearly all of the Asian markets i've been in also have it.

Bobcat · 03-06-07, 13:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morelman

[URL]

Another option (if you have a saltwater fish tank) is to buy live Gracillaria and grow your own. You could check your local pet store for some.

Through pet stores and suppliers you would be looking at big buck$. Growing your own is a nifty idea for those with the capacity for a refugium. Especially if they also got some grow lamps.

Bobcat · 03-06-07, 13:31

Whoa, she's selling agar agar for 20$/lb?!?!?!? I wonder how good/pure it is? Man, its 62 bucks a pound at the local store.....

Morelman · 03-06-07, 14:03

Remember her powdered agar is powdered seaweed, not agar proper.

BuckarooBanzai · 03-06-07, 18:37

Damn, dude, excellent thread. Great pics. I totally got it with almost no words. Very cool!

I would like some details on the "de-watering" though. Basically just boiling off the water?

Regardless: archive material to agar

Morelman · 03-09-07, 02:28

This experiment is turning out better than I had hoped. Three gallons were boiled down to just one. This was cooled down to room temperature and then frozen solid outside for a couple days.
Placed on a wire screen at room temperature, allowing water and impurities to wash away.

After it dries into a cake I'll pop it in a vacuum chamber to remove all the moisture.

Bobcat · 03-09-07, 08:52

Wow... Okay, I get it now. Again. Wow. Cool beans. Can't wait to hear your final product weight and cost analysis!!!!!!

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03-04-07, 09:23	#3 (permalink)
Lazlo old hand Join Date: Mar 1970 Posts: 7,692	I was wondering what you were going to do with that stuff. Looks easy enough! __________________ How can you have any pudding, if you don't eat your MEAT?

03-06-07, 10:06	#7 (permalink)
Bobcat Happy and Thankful Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,738	Nice. Agar is expensive so if this works out nicely you will have made an awesome discovery. Cost of the seaweed? Where to get it? __________________ Just pretend there is a deep or witty comment here and move along.

03-06-07, 13:09	#9 (permalink)
Lazlo old hand Join Date: Mar 1970 Posts: 7,692	Nearly all of the Asian markets i've been in also have it. __________________ How can you have any pudding, if you don't eat your MEAT?

03-06-07, 13:31	#11 (permalink)
Bobcat Happy and Thankful Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,738	Whoa, she's selling agar agar for 20$/lb?!?!?!? I wonder how good/pure it is? Man, its 62 bucks a pound at the local store..... __________________ Just pretend there is a deep or witty comment here and move along.

03-04-07, 08:27	#2 (permalink)
~vinz Guest Posts: n/a	lol, that looks cool so what do you intend to do with that?

03-04-07, 13:19	#4 (permalink)
Morelman Mycophiliac Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 24	Once the impurities are removed and it is de-watered. I'll see about making a few plates for testing.

03-04-07, 22:57	#5 (permalink)
Foster intotheoutside Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,854	Very nice! Some follow ups with pics would be great! Love to see It in use! foster

03-06-07, 12:49	#8 (permalink)
Morelman Mycophiliac Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 24	http://cgi.ebay.com/Agar-Agar-NATURA...QQcmdZViewItem This is the supplier I used. The whole seaweed is no longer available (I bought it at closeout prices) but they do have the 1lb powdered stuff. The sellers name is Marilyn. If you want the whole seaweed maybe you could ask her to stock some more. I tried to get the name of her supplier with no luck. Another option (if you have a saltwater fish tank) is to buy live Gracillaria and grow your own. You could check your local pet store for some.

03-06-07, 14:03	#12 (permalink)
Morelman Mycophiliac Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 24	Remember her powdered agar is powdered seaweed, not agar proper.

03-06-07, 18:37	#13 (permalink)
BuckarooBanzai Prone to ranting... Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 6,053	Damn, dude, excellent thread. Great pics. I totally got it with almost no words. Very cool! I would like some details on the "de-watering" though. Basically just boiling off the water? Regardless: archive material to agar __________________ Banzai Institute for Higher Education (a collection of growing Teks & threads)

03-09-07, 08:52	#15 (permalink)
Bobcat Happy and Thankful Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,738	Wow... Okay, I get it now. Again. Wow. Cool beans. Can't wait to hear your final product weight and cost analysis!!!!!! __________________ Just pretend there is a deep or witty comment here and move along.

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