Method of manufacturing agar or agarose beads

Abstract

The invention discloses method for manufacturing agar or agarose beads, comprising the steps of: a) providing a water phase comprising an aqueous solution of agar or agarose at a temperature of 40-100° C.: b) providing an oil phase comprising a water-immiscible solvent and an emulsifier at a temperature of 40-100° C.; c) emulsifying the water phase in the oil phase to form a water-in-oil emulsion: d) cooling the water-in-oil emulsion to a temperature below a gelation temperature of the agar or agarose to form a dispersion of solidified agar or agarose beads: and e) recovering agar or agarose beads from dispersion, wherein the emulsifier comprises a phosphate ester of an alkoxylated fatty alcohol.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.