Agar, whether served on a dessert platter or used to grow bacteria, has played a crucial role in history. In the early days of microbiology, scientists relied on liquid broths, potato slices, and gelatin to grow microbes before adopting agar. Agar’s derivative, agarose, is a staple in laboratory work, including DNA electrophoresis; meanwhile, agar is essential in cloning and screening assays for molecular biology, clinical diagnostics, and even serves as the canvas for agar art. However, many people may not be aware of Fanny Angelina Hesse, the woman behind this medium.
Hesse’s family shared historical materials with Nai, helping the team infuse the story with a deeper emotional and personal dimension.
Courtesy of the estate of Wolfgang Hesse.
Hesse, whose husband worked alongside microbiologist Robert Koch, assisted her spouse in cultivating bacteria. However, they struggled with using gelatin as a growth medium, because it liquefied at high temperatures, making bacterial culture extremely difficult. She knew that desserts in the then-Dutch colonized island of Java used agar as a gelling agent, thanks to a culinary tip from a neighbor who once lived there. When they tested it in cultures, agar proved far superior to gelatin. Her suggestion ultimately replaced gelatin and helped establish agar as a foundational tool in microbiology.
Corrado Nai, a microbiologist who worked with agar daily in the lab for nearly a decade and is now a freelance science writer, first wanted to bring attention to the substance that quietly transformed life sciences. “For me, [it] is very fascinating that people don't really think so much about [agar], because it's such an essential substance,” said Nai.
When Nai first pitched his story idea to various magazines, he faced repeated rejection. That’s when he decided to expand beyond the material and narrate the untold story of Hesse as the person responsible for bringing agar into the lab. “She made a fundamental discovery, but she is largely forgotten,” Nai said of Hesse.
As he dug deeper into Hesse’s history, he got in touch with her descendants. “The family shared an unpublished biography of Fanny written by the grandson, Wolfgang, and it was very touching because there are a lot of personal memories about a grandson with a grandmother.”
Fanny Angelina Hesse first used agar in cooking and later adapted it for cultivating bacteria, a breakthrough that revolutionized microbiology and helped establish the foundations of modern life sciences.
© The Dessert that Changed the World | Story & concept by Corrado Nai | Art by SHog (Stephanie Herzog)
Although Nai could have presented the story in writing, the historical material he received made him reconsider the format and instead “do something visual, which is more evocative.” To preserve Hesse’s legacy, he began developing a graphic novel titled “The Dessert that Changed the World” in late 2023. Nai reached out to other scientists and artists to bring the story to life.
The project is underway on Patreon, where supporters can follow along for behind-the-scenes art and sketches, exclusive previews of comic pages, insight into unpublished historical material, and more. The planned graphic novel will span approximately 120 pages, illustrated by postdoctoral researcher Stephanie Herzog at Georg-August University, with completion expected by the end of 2026. The story will transport readers back roughly 200 years, exploring the historical context around the humble beginnings of bacterial cultivation. It covers Hesse’s contributions, including her unpublished illustrations from 1906, and agar’s importance in modern science.
“[Patreon] is also a way to connect with people who really are patrons of the art and the science,” said Nai.
“We really want to tell an exciting story,” he added. “Growing microbes and doing research is actually very exciting.” While the primary audience will likely be scientists, the team is creating the book with the general public in mind. Nai added, “I really hope that even someone who has never worked in a lab will be excited and discover these kinds of things.”
While Nai is eager to share Hesse’s story, he also hopes this will be one of many opportunities to explore underdog stories in science.
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