SweepHand said:

BeefSupremeJr said:

ive never once seen carmelization and ive majorly fucked up.  left it for 2hrs before forgetting it was agar not grain. its not really a thing.

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I wonder what is going on with my agar then?  I'm seeing what I think is a darker agar with longer sterilization times, and that darker agar seems to have a weaker gel strength that is "wetter" and loses its water. After pouring and letting this agar set up, it would slide right off the plate if I tilted it far enough.

This isn't a perfect comparison, but here are two bottles, the left one which was sterilized a single time for 30 mins, and the right/darker one which was sterilized twice for 30 mins each. 

I'd love help figuring out what is going on here. I'm using a food grade agar agar powder that claims to be 100% pure, but it's just from some no-name brand on Amazon, so who knows. The light malt extract is maltoferm for beer brewing.  I'm also just using tap water (we have pretty good water at around 50 ppm TDS). 

I am getting okay results with 30 min sterilization, but now I'm suspecting that even then my gel strength is lower and the water is purging more than it should. 

My LMEA recipe wanders around, but these bottles were 3.6g agar, 2.3g malt extract, and 180mL of tap water sterilized at 15psi for 30 mins after a 10+ minute purge.

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Not all agar has the same gelling strength. It has nothing to do with time. I only run 45 min cycles with agar.

"Gel strength is quantified by measuring the force required to break or deform the gel using a specialized instrument."

Mine lists the gelling strength on the label..

Quote:

The average gel strength for agar agar, particularly for food-grade products, is often cited around 700 g/cm², though this can vary depending on the specific product and manufacturer's specifications. However, gel strengths of 750 g/cm² to over 1000 g/cm² are also considered suitable and may be targeted by some manufacturers.

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-Google

Cycle times are determined by volume:



https://consteril.com/steam-sterilization-cycles-part-2-liquids/

Vivi said:

Is this baccy? Is this mold? Or is this first signs of myc?



Pretty sure it's too soon to tell just yet? Especially with these shitty pictures

Also- what is so bad about burst seeds/grains? I do notice some of these as I tumble then around, roll around like honey bunches of oats

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humble student said:

Several days back, could have been 7-10 days, I posted about a contamination/sterilization issue I was experiencing with agar plates. I posted photos of 6 plates that were contaminated, and there were a few forum members that responded. I’m grateful for all the input and suggestions, thank you!

Also, a great big thank you to BeefSupreme who messaged me with some ideas about what might be the “problem.” Beef was conscientious in how he answered my questions and in how he continued to follow up with me. I’m confident I will be successful eliminating, or at least, minimizing contamination with agar, thanks to
Beef!

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Gilmour Hendrix said:

Beef... i wanna stick him between my buns.

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Quote:

BeefSupremeJr said:
hahhahafuckin gil.  what is wrong with you

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I gots crazy brains!

Henry Swanson said:

Gellan gum

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Well damn, got a recipe, and the plate in the picture is that just water or

Kloakk said:

Henry Swanson said:

Gellan gum

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Well damn, got a recipe, and the plate in the picture is that just water or

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1NFIN8 said:

humble student said:

Edit: AI is freaking hilarious. This image is absurd but it’s what it gave me for crusty ballers holding a mushroom.

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hahah oh man i just saw this.  lets just go ahead and get the disappointment out of the way here since i think youll be seeing more of me in the months to come

BeefSupremeJr said:

[

hahah oh man i just saw this.  lets just go ahead and get the disappointment out of the way here since i think youll be seeing more of me in the months to come

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PuffM4gicDr4gon said:

I'm not seeing a difference, are ya'll?

Beef is one handsome bull

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