Food Ingredients
How to Use Agar Agar Powder in Vegan Desserts?
Feb 16, 2024
Food Ingredients
Feb 16, 2024
Agar-agar powder is made from red algae derivatives and commonly used in almost modern kitchens, food, and beverage industries. It is because the adaptability and simplicity of its usage make it a mainstay in the world of food and beverage. So, agar-agar powder has become a typical ingredient for the desserts and become a plant-based option for gelatin substitution.
Origin
Agar-agar powder as a seaweed product is already popular among vegan and vegetarians who avoid the animal product. It is also considered as a halal product. Agar-agar powder is mainly extracted from Gelidium sp. and Gracilaria sp. genus. In contrast, gelatin is a product of animal derivatives, such as skin, bone, and muscle membrane from pigs or cows.
Properties
There are several physical properties from agar-agar powder, such us have a bright white color and dry texture. Beside the powder type, agar-agar is also made into strips and bars type. Gelatin powder have a light yellow, glossy, and translucent appearance. It also has colorless, odorless, and transparent form when its dissolved in water.
Agar-agar and gelatin are soluble in hot water and their gel forming is determined by several factors, such as, pH, composition of the solution, temperature, and ionic strength.
Furthermore, agar-agar and gelatin have different gel texture and strength. Gel structure of agar-agar is firm and brittle. It can stand at temperatures as high as 65°C. Compared to gelatin, it sets at a lower temperature and forms elastic and soft gel that can easily melt at body temperature. So, it can be useful for certain desserts.
To begin with, it’s critical to understand the proper ratio of powder to liquid when using agar-agar powder in vegan desserts in order to create the correct consistency. Usually, one teaspoon of agar-agar powder gels around two cups of liquid, though this may depend on how solid you want your dessert to be.
The first step in utilizing agar-agar powder is to dissolve it in a liquid. You can use water or any flavored liquid, including almond milk, coconut milk, or fruit juice. When heating the mixture, it is important to constantly whisk or swirl the powder until it dissolves completely. After dissolving, boil the mixture, then let it simmer for a short while. The gelling capabilities of agar-agar are activated in this phase, which is essential to getting the correct texture. The key is timing: undercooking can produce a watery consistency, while overcooking can cause the agar-agar’s ability to gel to break down.
The versatility of agar agar powder makes this ingredient can be used in a diverse way for many dishes. Here are some vegan dishes that you can try to make with agar agar powder:
So, the first step is to mix the 2 tablespoons of agar-agar powder with half a cup of cold water. Then, add the sugar, mix all of it, and bring to a boil. Please avoid stirring the mixture when it begins to boil. Boil that mixture until 112°C. After that, you can pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool concisely. Blend the mixture with a mixer until it becomes thick and white, while you are also adding a pinch of salt and vanilla essence. Lastly, pour the mixture into a flat pan that is already spread by powdered sugar and cornstarch. Finally, let it set until its get firm for one hour.
During the marshmallow mixture is beaten by a mixer, agar-agar helps the air bubbles evenly disperse, and the agar-agar coagulates around the bubbles. That action of agar-agar can stabilize the form of marshmallow and make the texture softer and spongy-like.|
Tradeasia International can provide agar agar powder in large quantities for your food factory. For inquiries, feel free to contact us.
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