Agar Agar Health Benefits and Nutrition Facts

Nutritional summary

Agar is a polysaccharide (a complex carbohydrate) derived from seaweed that is considered safe for human consumption by major regulatory bodies, including the FDA and the European Food Safety Authority .
Because it is composed of agarose and agaropectin molecules that the human body cannot fully digest, it functions primarily as a source of dietary fiber rather than a significant source of calories .
Increasing total fiber intake is well-established by meta-analyses to lower the risk of heart disease and coronary mortality, with a 7-gram daily increase linked to a 9% reduction in cardiovascular risk .
While agar is widely used as a food additive (E406) to modify texture, its specific molecular weight is not currently considered a factor in its safety for general use in the food industry .

Interesting fact

Discovered in 17th-century Japan by an innkeeper who noticed discarded seaweed soup gelled overnight in the winter cold, it remains the standard medium for laboratory microbiology due to its resistance to bacterial decomposition.

Standout nutrients

EPIC

SOURCE

Iodine

EPIC

SOURCE

Dietary fibre

EPIC

SOURCE

Manganese

EPIC

SOURCE

Magnesium

194

kcal per 100g

Protein2.00g

Fat0.57g

Carbs34.6g

Fiber53.4g

Fat breakdown

Polyunsat0.40g

Monounsat0.10g

Saturated0.30g

Seasonality

Not available

Diet

VeganVegetarianPescatarianGluten FreeDairy FreeKetoLow Fodmap

Sustainability

Lighter footprint

Seaweed cultivation requires no fresh water or fertilizer and actively sequesters carbon.

Confidencehigh

Storage

Airtight Container

2+ years

Store in a cool, dry place to prevent moisture absorption.

Flavour

Data & Sources

Harmonized from 3 validated sources

French Food Database

1 contributing source food

Swiss Food Database

1 contributing source food

McCance & Widdowson

1 contributing source food

Claim citations

Therapeutic Benefits and Dietary Restrictions of Fiber Intake: A State of the Art Review - PMC

[11]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Seaweed Polysaccharides: A Rational Approach for Food Safety Studies - PMC

[12]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Coverage

Nutrients

FoodCompass

62.1

Version

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