Agarose for Molecular Biology

Burgos, Spain

Hispanagar is one of the world's leading manufacturers of purified seaweed extracts. With an extensive knowledge on marine hydrocolloids, Hispanagar started working with agar in the 1950s. Algae from oceans all over the world are processed through different transformation production lines, using various technologies, and are subjected to sophisticated extraction and purification operations. The result is an extensive range of agar, including a wide range of bacteriological, pharmaceutical, and food agar, numerous varieties of agaroses, and a complete line of peptones that complement the range of agar dedicated to microbiology. Since its foundation in the 1950s, Hispanagar has dedicated its material and human resources to the manufacture and optimization of agar, as well as to research and develop innovative products and new applications for algae extracts that add value to the product and provide a benefit to society. At the beginning of the 1970s, Hispanagar develops the first bacteriological and purified agar production line, two totally innovative products in Spain. A few years later, Hispanagar carries out an ambitious research plan to implement an industrial process to produce agarose, and became one of the world's leaders in the processing of this product. In the 1980s, peptones (basic ingredients, together with agar, for the manufacture of bacteriological culture media) produced at Biotécnica, a subsidiary plant located in Mexico, starts to be commercialized. Nowadays, in the XXI century, Hispanagar's Institute of Applied Research has started and a fruitful collaboration participating in doctoral theses and undergraduate dissertations, thus a scientific team was brought together to strengthen research policies and foster the development of innovative products and new applications able to face the challenges of a changing world. It is essential to work with the best raw material to obtain the highest quality of finished product. The collecting and processing of algae is very complex, but many years of experience have furnished Hispanagar with the knowledge to asses which algae are suitable for each specific application, and to select the proper collection and processing methods. The company collects several selected species of algae across all five continents (Atlantic coast of Southern Europe, North and South America, North Africa, Oceania, and Southeast Asia) and has its own collection organization that follows the strictest quality and supervision controls. Hispanagar has a plant of 100,000 square feet to store its raw material. These warehouses can accommodate large stocks of algae, thus guaranteeing supply to all clients, even in times of shortage.