Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics

Others. A major use of agar is in culture
media for microorganisms. It is one of the
most widely used media for biotechnology
purposes.

COMMERCIAL PREPARATIONS

Available in flakes, strips, and powders;
grades and quality vary, with the bacteriologi-

cal grades demanding the most stringent qual-

ity. Some high-quality agars from certain

commercial sources have higher congealing

temperatures than that required by the F.C.C.

and N.F., which is due to the source of algae

used.

Regulatory Status. Agar is GRAS as a stabi-

lizer (§582.7115) and red algae is affirmed as

GRAS (§184.1115).^17

REFERENCES

See the General References forFEMA;FURIA;GLICKSMAN;GOSSELIN;LAWRENCE;MARTINDALE;PHILLIPS;
REMINGTON;TYLER2;UPHOF;WHISTLER AND BEMILLER;WREN.

1. F. Zanetti et al.,Planta Med., 58 (S1),
   A696 (1992).


2. K. B. Guiseley in A. Standen, ed.,Kirk-
   Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical
   Technology, Vol. 17, 2nd ed.,
   Wiley–Interscience, New York, 1968,
   p. 763.


3. M. Duckworth and W. Yaphe,Carbohydr.
   Res., 16 , 189 (1971).


4. M. Duckworth and W. Yaphe,Carbohydr.
   Res., 16 , 435 (1971).


5. K. Young et al.,Carbohydr. Res., 16 , 446
   (1971).


6. K. Izumi, Carbohydr. Res., 17 , 227
   (1971).


7. K. Hayashi and K. Nonaka, Nippon
   Shokuhin Kogyo Gakkaishi, 14 ,66
   (1967).


8. C. Araki et al.,Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 40 ,
   959 (1967).
   9. M. Duckworth et al.,Carbohydr. Res., 18 ,
   1 (1971).


9. Y. Karamanos et al.,Carbohydr. Res.,
   187 , 93 (1989).


10. H. Hayashi et al.,Shokuhin Eiseigaku
    Zasshi, 29 , 390 (1988).


11. H. A. Kordan,Biochem. Physiol. Pflanz.,
    183 , 355 (1988).


12. H. P Glauert et al., Food Cosmet.
    Toxicol., 19 , 281 (1981).


13. M. W. Gouda and G. S. Godhka,Can. J.
    Pharm. Sci., 12 , 4 (1977).


14. A. C Tsai et al.,J. Nutr., 106 , 118 (1976).


15. S. Y Shiau et al.,Nutr. Rep. Int., 39 , 281
    (1989).


16. Anon., Fed. Regist., 42 (161), 41876
    (1977).

ALETRIS

Source:AletrisfarinosaL.(FamilyLiliaceae).

Common/vernacular names: Ague grass,
ague root, aletris, blazing star, colic root,
stargrass, starwort, true unicorn root, unicorn
root, and whitetube stargrass.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Perennial herb with grasslike leaves up to

20 cm long, formed as a rosette around a

slender, naked flowering stem that grows up

to almost 1 m high; flowers white, tubular,

mealy at base; native to North America from

southern Maine south to Florida and west to

Aletris 11