Agar was invented in Japan and has a long history of use there, for example, it has been commonly used in Japanese foods. The raw material of agar, seaweed, is collected from seas around the world, and the agar is prepared by a heated water extraction method. Agar is a linear polysaccharide composed of galactose which forms a three-dimensional network by hydrogen bonding, to form a gel. The gel does not melt at human body temperature and has many physiological functions. Agar has been designated as a medicine and food for specified health uses because of its aperient property. In our study, we demonstrated an agar gel affect on risk factors that often lead to metabolic syndrome because of its effect on dieting. We also observed that agar increased the number of lactic acid bacteria in the fermentation process of yoghurt, and suppressed the decrease in the number of bacteria caused by simulated gastric acid. Our results suggest yoghurt and agar may work as synbiotics. In addition, agaro-oligosaccharide, which is produced by the degradation of agar, suppressed the elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. It was also demonstrated that the agarooligosaccharide might improve the symptoms of gonarthrosis. Furthermore, we devised various agars with differing physical properties which can be used in a large number of applications. The opportunities to use agar as dietary fiber in various foods are now increasing, in spite of the small content of agar in each food.
Key words : Agar, Dietary fiber, Aperient property, Applications, Agaro-oligosaccharide |
