Author Topic: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent for Colloidal Silver  (Read 17578 times)

Offline PeterXXL

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I've so far used Gelatin as the best choice as capping agent when making colloidal silver that is used orally. Gelatin is an animal product, and as lots of people are vegetarians or vegans, there must be options. And I have looked at the following alternatives...

- Pectin
- Carrageenan
- Agar (agar-agar)
- Alginic acid (and its salts - alginates)

Pectin, a polysaccharide that comes from fruits, is actually used as a capping agent ( for instance: http://www.scopemed.org/?jft=36&ft=36-1422348209 )

Carrageenan is also a polysaccharide, which comes from red seaweed, and is also used as a capping agent ( for instance: http://eprints.utm.my/33882/ )

Agar is derived from the polysaccharide agarrose, which is extracted from red algae, and is also sometimes used ( for instance: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960852411017032 )

Alginic acid is an anionic polysaccharide that comes from the cell walls of brown algae. Different alginates seem to be used as capping agents ( for instance: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925400511000426?np=y )

They all have in common that they consists of polysaccharides (long chain of mono-saccharrides) and are jelly-like when absorbing water (similar to gelatin), so they should also suit as good capping agents like gelatin. The question is how well they withstand the gastric acid compared to gelatin.

I think that this is something that we should investigate and try out.
« Last Edit: October 16, 2016, 11:58:04 PM by kephra »

Offline kephra

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2015, 10:41:39 PM »
Go right ahead.
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.

fishing4fun

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2015, 11:02:40 PM »
This is very interesting if you do proceed in trying any of these please post your results.
I was even thinking about sunflower lecithin but that was just a thought and i have not investigated it any further then just a thought, one thing i would say about lecithin is that the taste is completely bad as if you were eating rubber.

SanchoPanza

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2015, 11:18:40 PM »
I wondered about pectin as a reducer, never thought of capping though.
If you ever try pectin for capping, I'd be curious to see if it acts as a reducer, maybe on a small sub batch of IS?
I would volunteer to do that, but I'm not ready for qualified for capping experiments yet.
I only recently earned my Maltose badge, but If I get to the store before Peter, I'll try Pectin as a reducer too.

Thanks for the links Peter.

-Sancho

Offline PeterXXL

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2015, 12:51:40 AM »
Yes, I will try to buy them all and then make some tests, which I share. I also await an order of Pepsin, which is necessary to prepare simulated gastric fluid. I should have it within a few working days, and will then start testing different colloidal silver against simulated gastric fluid to start with.

Offline cfnisbet

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2015, 08:10:47 AM »
I have seen Agar in the supermarket beside the gelatine and immediately wondered if it would work. I will be investigating this one myself.

fishing4fun

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2015, 06:10:41 PM »
I have seen Agar in the supermarket beside the gelatine and immediately wondered if it would work. I will be investigating this one myself.
I second that i be going to the store today for some karo syrup so i might as well look for some agar all of these items will depend on your simulated gastric acid test very cool for sure.

Offline PeterXXL

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2015, 10:59:19 AM »
I can now confirm that Alginate (from brown seaweed algae) as sodium alginate ( NaC6H7O6 ) is a very good capping agent. It absorbes 200 - 300 times its mass of water.  Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alginic_acid#Sodium_alginate.

I have so far tested 200 mg sodium alginate to 80 ml of 20 ppm cinnamon reduced colloidal silver with simulated gastric fluid, and will now post details about it in that thread.

Offline cosanostra

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent for colloidal silver
« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2019, 03:22:06 PM »
Any results on agar-agar?
“It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.”
― Albert Einstein

FlyingDutchman

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent for colloidal silver
« Reply #9 on: April 07, 2019, 11:57:41 PM »
I have produced a 100 ppm orange pectin capped nano silver a couple of months ago. I used sodium citrate as (faster) reducing agent, because pectin on its own seems to be a slow reducing agent, and citrate on its own is a weaker capping agent. The result seems very stable, no color alterations and no precipitation. Negative point is it has a very bitter taste!
First picture shows the diluted pectin, second one the 100 ppm pectin capped nano silver.

FlyingDutchman

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent for colloidal silver
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2019, 12:01:17 AM »
Any results on agar-agar?
I have tried agar-agar (food grade) in the past but the colloid was very unstable and created precipitation within a couple of weeks. There may have been other problems in that batch, I have never tried again. I use Aloé vera as a vegan reducing and capping agent, with great success and consistency.

Offline CaptainRajiv

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent for colloidal silver
« Reply #11 on: July 10, 2019, 06:12:04 PM »
Hello FlyingDutchman, I guess you are Marc on youtube, isnt it? I have seen all your videos and liked the 'industrial design' feel of it - and you have a very systematic flow to information and the process

I am yet to make my first batch of Colloidal Silver, getting all the equipment together (only power supply pending) - but once I have settled with the basic techniques I would love to try Aloe Vera, as it grows abundantly here in India and in my home garden too, it's an important herb in the Ayurveda with high therapeutic value. That it a vegetarian option makes it even more appealing.

muhendisane

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent for colloidal silver
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2019, 05:00:24 AM »
Any results on agar-agar?
I have tried agar-agar (food grade) in the past but the colloid was very unstable and created precipitation within a couple of weeks. There may have been other problems in that batch, I have never tried again. I use Aloé vera as a vegan reducing and capping agent, with great success and consistency.

What is the amounts of aloe vera and other ingredients, can you share technical details about it, thanks.

FlyingDutchman

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent for colloidal silver
« Reply #13 on: July 25, 2019, 04:50:04 PM »
Hello FlyingDutchman, I guess you are Marc on youtube, isnt it? I have seen all your videos and liked the 'industrial design' feel of it - and you have a very systematic flow to information and the process

I am yet to make my first batch of colloidal silver, getting all the equipment together (only power supply pending) - but once I have settled with the basic techniques I would love to try Aloe Vera, as it grows abundantly here in India and in my home garden too, it's an important herb in the Ayurveda with high therapeutic value. That it a vegetarian option makes it even more appealing.

Yes that would be me!
Aloé vera is great, the colloid is very stable and I like to think it may have added benefits. The gel has high polysaccharide content and reasonable protein content. Make sure you take off the skin and latex and clean well to reduce the aloin contamination.


FlyingDutchman

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Re: Alternative to using Gelatin as capping agent for colloidal silver
« Reply #14 on: July 25, 2019, 05:19:04 PM »
What is the amounts of aloe vera and other ingredients, can you share technical details about it, thanks.

I have had repeated success with fully reduced and capped in the proportion of 1,0 litre of ~25ppm ionic with 40mg of Aloé vera gel extract (powder). You can verify this video I made:  https://youtu.be/gtamSlLGPuI
As an option, I add 15-20 drops per litre 1M sodium carbonate to correct pH and reduce buildup issues on the electrodes.