Agar Pharmacognosy drug profile Pharmacy Primary metabolites Carbohydrates unit V Semester 4 b pharm 2nd yr

1. Drug profile of AGAR
PHARMACOGNOSY AND PHYTOCHEMISTRY -I
Unit V
Primary metabolites : Carbohydrates.
Prepared By ,
GORE AVINASH BHARAT
B Pharm. 2nd yr
Roll no. 15
GUIDE : Mr. S.V. GARAD SIR

2. AGAR
❖ SYNONYMS :
➢ Agar agar
➢ Japanese Isinglass
➢ Vegetable Gelatin
❖ FAMILY :
➢ Gelidiaceae
➢ Rhodophyceae (for Red algae)

3. ❖Biological Source
Agar is the Gelatinous substance obtained from :
➢ Red algae like Gracilaria and Pterocladia.
➢ Gelidium Species (like amansii Lamouroux, pristoidesTurn Kiitz)
❖ GEOGRAPHICAL SOURCE :
Japan,Korea ,South Africa,U.S.A., China,India, Australia

6. ❖MORPHOLOGY & MACROSCOPIC
CHARACTERS

7. MORPHOLOGY & MACROSCOPIC CHARACTERS
Colour Yellowish white to gray or Colourless
Odour Odourless
Taste Mucilaginous
Shape Strips,Flakes or Course powder
Size Strips are about 60 cm in length and 4 mm
wide.
Wide sheets are 50 -60 cm long and 10-15
cm wide.
Solubility Insoluble in organic solvents,cold water.
Soluble in hot water and forms a gelatinous
solution after colling hot solution.

8. ❖ CULTIVATION COLLECTION AND
PREPARATION

9. CULTIVATION COLLECTION AND PREPARATION

10. CULTIVATION COLLECTION AND PREPARATION
➢ The algae are collected from May to October in Japan and
manufacturing of Agar is done in winter.
➢ The red algae are grown in the sea,on the support of poles
on,which they develop.
➢ These poles are withdrawn, algae is removed,dried,beaten and
shaken to remove shell and sand.
➢ The algae are bleached by exposure to sunlight or washing with
water.
➢ The washing with water removes the associated salts. Then these
are boiled with acidulated water (one part algae with 55-60 parts
water)for few hours.
➢ Mucilaginous mass is filtered while hot then cooled. The jelly is
formed and cut into bars.
➢ These bars are forced through wire netting and strips are formed.
➢ These are dried in sunlight and freezing and thawing remove
moisture.Finally, agar is dried at 35°C.

11. CULTIVATION COLLECTION AND PREPARATION
GELIDIUM
/GRACILARIA
SUN BLEACHING
HOT EXTRACTION
FILTERATION &
GELLING
NATURAL
FREEZING
WASHING
(DIFFUSION)
THAWING &
DRYING
HYDRAULIC PRESSURE
DRYING CHAMBER
MILLING
AGAR
POWDER
STRIP
/SQARE
AGAR

12. CULTIVATION COLLECTION AND PREPARATION

13. CULTIVATION COLLECTION AND PREPARATION

14. ❖CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS
Contains two different polysaccharides
➢AGAROSE
• Responsible for the gel property of agar
• Consists of D-galactose and L-galactose unit.
➢ AGAROPECTIN
➢ Responsible for the viscosity of agar solution.
➢ Structure is not known but it believed that it may consist of
sulphonated polysacchride.

15. ❖CHEMICAL TESTS
➢Boil about 1.5 gm agar with 1oo ml of water .Cool the
solution to room temperature.It forms a stiffy jelly.
➢Sample + KOH Canary yellow colour agar
➢Ash of agar is treated with dil.HCL.this on microscopic
examination shows Fragments of Diatoms.
➢Sample +N/50 Iodine Deep crimson to Brown
colour.
➢Positive to Fehling’s solution test.
➢Positive test with Molisch reagent.
➢To agar powder a solution of Ruthenium red is
added.Red colour is formed indicating mucilage.

16. CHEMICAL TESTS
➢ Sample + soda lime NaNH3 is produced
➢ Sample + Million’s reagent No Ppt.
➢ Sample + Tannic acid No Ppt.
➢ It has a swelling index of not less than 10.
❖ADULTERENTS:
 Some of the common adulterants present in agar are
➢Gelatin
The presence of gelatin can be detected by addition of
equal volume of 1% trinitrophenol and 1% of agar
solution; the solution produces turbidity or precipitation.

17. ADULTERENTS:

18. ADULTERENTS:
➢DANISH AGAR
Danish agar has an ash of 16.5–18.5%, it is formed from
Rhodophyceae indigenous to the Denmark costal
region.The Danish agar has a gel strength which is half of its
gel strength of Japanese agar
➢STARCH
The powdered drug is adulterated with starch. Mount the
drug in chloral-iodine solution and observe the starch
grains.

19. ❖USES

20. USES
➢As a Bulk Laxative and in chronic constipation
➢In the preparation of Vaginal capsules and
Suppositories.
➢To prepare nutrient media in Bacteriological Culture.
➢It is used as an Emulsifying agent.
➢Used in Affinity Chromatography.
➢The gels of pure Agarose are used for the
Electrophoresis of proteins.

21. THANK
YOU...