Agar-agar has many applications in the food industry, such as in bakery products (as an ingredient for cakes and buns fillings or covers), confectionary and sweets manufacturing, as well as in dairy products, desserts or canned meats (as a gelling agent due to its high resistance to thermal shock). Well known for its healthy and versatile properties, this product is nowadays being increasingly introduced in households as an important staple.

As agar forms a molecular network through hydrogen-bonding, it requires only boiling water to make very stable and strong gels. This property allows for a much lower dose compared to the other gelling agents.

Agar is the ideal substitute for animal gelatins since it is 100% vegetable in origin and its gelling power is 6 times higher than that of animal gelling agents. In addition, it is a powerful appetite suppressant and provides a large amount of natural fiber, which makes it ideal for low-calorie diets.

Its hysteresis—or the interval between melting and gelling temperatures— is another key property for obtaining solutions at near room temperature or gels which do not melt until near boiling temperatures, remaining stable and gelled at high room temperatures often involved in stocking or transport as part of the supply chains.