Various powdered kanten (agar) are natural polysaccharides and gelling agents made from red algae such as tengusa (agar seaweed). As a plant-based setting ingredient, they are widely used in wagashi, Western confectionery, and jellies. When dissolved in water, heated, and then cooled, they form a gel with little syneresis and stable quality. They are a trusted ingredient suited to a wide variety of wagashi such as mizu-yokan, kingyoku, kohakuto, and jellies.
