Agarose is a very inert polysaccharide that forms hydrophilic and high gel strength gels at low concentrations.

Agarose beads are microspheres of agarose gels with different particle diameters and concentrations. Small spherical particles of agarose act as a porous gel to filter or separate a mixture of molecules according to their individual sizes. Due to its chemical structure (easy to activate), the agarose beads may be prepared to bind biomolecules in a reversible or irreversible manner. Plain agarose beads are used in gel filtration chromatography (or molecular exclusion chromatography) as well as for activating beads for biomolecule purification or immobilization.Plain agarose beads can also be used for activating processes, generating active groups inside its pores capable of reversible or irreversible biomolecule bonds. Due to the bead’s large internal surface and to its composition (inert polysaccharide), agarose is an ideal medium for the preparation of activated beads.