Agar-gulaman-kanten: the king of dietary fibers
2006
Galatas, F. | Hispanagar, S.A.
Known as agar-agar in Malay (the term adopted by science and the Wests), Kanten in Japan and gulaman in the Philippines, agar is a hydrocolloid polysaccharide extracted from marine algae composed of linear galactose monomers. It is a mixture of two fractions, i.e., agarose and agarapectin. It is composed of 95% soluble fiber, thus forming a strong transparent gel. Agar is a vegetable polysaccharide not digestible by humans. It is resistant to intestinal gastric juices and enzymes, retains water, and has no flavor. Its health benefits include sequestering toxic substances, fixing salts by inclusion, delaying glucose absorption (a boon to diabetics), improving intestinal transit, and preventing colon cancer. It has been accepted by government health agencies as a pharmaceutical substance in diets and medical preparations for satiating appetites and reducing caloric content. In combination in E.coli, the common bacteria in the colon, it constitutes up to 30% of the fecal bolus and forms oligosaccharides by fermentation, which could become important additional energy sources. It helps reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. In addition, agarobioses, which are form of agarose, a major component of agar acts as antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory and antitumor agents. With its high content of soluble fibers, (with 94.8% of its composition made of soluble fiber, it has the highest proportion of any food product) and immense benefit to health, agar is unsurpassed in many ways, and can be rightly called 'The King of Fibers'.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by University of the Philippines at Los Baños