Moorhead - About MoorAgar

Since its founding in 1933, Moorhead & Company has produced and distributed quality Agar Agar and agar blended products throughout North America. From Gracilaria (food grade) to Gelidium (bacterial) to specialty blends, Moorhead maintains a solid reputation in the food industry as well as supporting research and development.

The best quality Gracilaria / Gelidium Agars are red algae derived from seaweed and continues to be a popular substitute for gelatin. Commonly known as Agar Agar, it has been used as a food ingredient in the Far East for generations as well as a medium for growing bacteria (Gelidium).

Moorhead & Company's products are derived from only 100% natural seaweed, and contain no sugar, salt, starch, yeast, wheat, gluten, corn, soy, milk, egg, or preservatives. It is the perfect substitute for animal based gelatins.

Seaweed to Agar

The seaweed industry provides a wide variety of products that have an estimated total annual value of US$ 5.5-6 billion. Food products for human consumption contribute about US$ 5 billion of this. Substances that are extracted from seaweeds - hydrocolloids - account for a large part of the remaining billion dollars, while smaller, miscellaneous uses, such as fertilizers and animal feed additives, make up the rest. The industry uses 7.5-8 million tons of wet seaweed annually. This is harvested either from naturally growing (wild) seaweed or from cultivated (farmed) crops. The farming of seaweed has expanded rapidly as demand has outstripped the supply available from natural resources. Commercial harvesting occurs in about 35 countries, spread between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, in waters ranging from cold, through temperate, to tropical.