Gellan gum

Gellan gum is a naturally derived, water soluble anionic polysaccharide. Produced through bacterial fermentation, gellan gum is a highly purified natural gelling agent. Even though it might seem particularly similar to agar, gellan gum holds many differences. For example, gels produced by gellan gum are remarkably more clear in comparison to gels formed with agar, but they are also more rigid and brittle.

Gellan gum contains none of the contaminating matters found in agar (e.g. phenolic compounds) which are toxic to certain sensitive organisms. Gel production through the usage of gellan gum requires approximately half the amount of when agar is used. Another contrast to agar, gellan gum can withstand heat up to 120°C, making it very useful in culturing thermophilic microorganisms. Gellan gum is also branded as Gelrite, Nanogel-TC, Grovgel, Applied Gel or Phytagel.

At Lab Associates we can offer different gellan gums, such as:

• Gelrite from Duchefa;
• Gellan gum, type 1 and 2 from Caisson Labs;
• Gellex from Caisson Labs;
• Gelzan (formerly named Gelrite) from Caisson Labs; and
• Carrageenan and TC Gel from Caisson Labs.