LIVING JIN Agar Agar Powder 32oz, Vegan Plant-Based Gelatin Substitute

Never used agar agar before. And for a first time my jello came out great.

I used this only one time to make fruit gummy bears for my kids. It worked perfectly fine for me that one time.

For everyone wondering how to make this into nutrient-rich agar for petri dish use (Also to add, this agar taste great and makes great Japanese desserts): Hello all!, You CAN use this agar to PRODUCE nutrient-rich agar. I have done it many times and it works just as well as lab-grade nutrient rich agar. Just follow this procedure: •Your desired amount of sterile petri dishes (keep them unopened in fridge until ready for use to prevent condensation) •Clean cotton swabs •One cup of distilled water (DO NOT use tap water unless you have a filter, it normally contains free chlorine/chloride particles, which will kill the bacteria/fungus) •One beef boullion cube •One-third cup of sugar •A small/medium sized soup ladle •Two and a half tablespoons of this agar: **(this is enough for me to make 20-23 90mm × 25 dishes)** -Pour water into pot and let it heat up. Put all ingredients into pot, let them dizzolve into the hot water and stir regularly, do not let it burn or boil for too long. Once all ingredients are dizzolved, remove pot from heat and let it cool for about two mintues. -Remove dishes from fridge and open the one intended for immediate use. Gently but expeditiously ladle agar mix into the dishes. (Be sure to pour an equal amount; Not too much, or not to little into each dish. If you underpour, the colonies won't have enough nutrients plus the agar will dry out. Over pour and they won't have enough air and will die). Let some steam escape for a few seconds, then place lid on. Repeat process for each dish. -Once complete, gently use both hands to place them back into the fridge. It usually takes about two and a half hours for them to cool enough for use (the fun part). -Once ready, get your clean swabs and either wet the tip intended for use with distilled water, or leave it dry, and rub it along the surface of the tested specimen. Be sure not to contaminate the dish with your hands, and rub the swab along the surface of the firm agar in your preferred pattern. -Immediately close, tape the edges shut, and label the dish via dry erase marker or with a tape label. Place the dishes in an area away from high traffic and in a relatively shady location (to encourage fungi growth), and document/examine the growth every twelve hours (bacteria tend to replicate so much that they double in numbers approx. every twelve hours) up until you are done with the experiment. Discard of dishes carefully. Do not reuse dishes unless they are made of glass. If reusing glass disher, wear protective safety attire and sterilize with a water-bleach solution for reuse. **Please remeber that since it is getting cold, If you do not have an incubator in your home (which most people do not), make sure your thermostat is NOT below 70° Fahrenheit. Bacteria have trouble surviving in temperatures below this, so the warmer, the better. Also, the colder it is, the slower the bacteria colonies will grow and the longer it will take for you to see some impressive results. Have fun and please stay safe!

It does exactly what it’s supposed to in terms of thickening and setting, and I like that it’s a good plant-based option. That said, it does have a slight taste that comes through depending on what you’re making. It’s not overpowering, but noticeable in more simple recipes. I found it works best in dishes with stronger flavors where it blends in better. Overall still a good product, just something to keep in mind depending on how you plan to use it.

I don't notice a taste when I use this in my cooking. I usually use this in my homemade yogurt. For whatever reason, I have a very hard time getting my homemade coconut milk yogurt to thicken the way I like it, which is Greek yogurt thick. I have followed recipes that say to use only full fat canned yogurt, only the cream at that, and probiotics. Very simple and very watery even after 24 hours of processing. Recently, I changed how I make coconut yogurt in my instant pot. I use the whole can now and I switched to a vegan yogurt starter. A lot of improvement, but still not quite there. I tried adding other thickeners in addition to the starter. Sunflower lecithin was my first try. Didn't work for me the yogurt had a funny flavor and was very dark in color. Next!! Xanthan gum was my next try. Better, no funny flavor, got pristine looking yogurt, but the texture was gritty at the level of xanthan gum that I was using. Next!! Agar agar powder (not flakes, you would need about 3 times the amount of flakes to replace the powder). 1 teaspoon was the amount I started with and didn't get any farther. It really improved the consistency of the yogurt, it was white, and no gritty feeling. True it still doesn't come out Greek yogurt thick right out of the instant pot, but after a few hours of refrigeration it's fairly close. If I decide to get it thicker, I'll update my review. As things stand, I can recommend this product.