About Alginate
A seaweed wonder, Alginate thickens, gels, and stabilizes – revolutionizing everything it touches!
Alginate is a natural polysaccharide (a type of carbohydrate) derived from the cell walls of brown seaweed, primarily Macrocystis and Laminaria species. It is a water-soluble salt formed when alginic acid, a compound extracted from seaweed, is neutralized with sodium hydroxide.
Water Solubility
Soluble in water: Alginate dissolves easily in water to form a viscous solution. Its solubility makes it useful as a thickener and emulsifier in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical formulations.
Gel Formation
Gel-forming: When mixed with calcium ions (Ca²⁺), Alginate undergoes ionic cross-linking to form a gel. This property is widely utilized in food science (e.g., creating edible gels) and medical applications (e.g., wound dressings and controlled drug release systems).
Stabilizing and Emulsifying
Emulsifying properties: It helps stabilize emulsions, such as in salad dressings or cosmetics, where oil and water need to be kept in suspension.
Stabilizing:It is often used to stabilize suspensions and prevent the separation of ingredients in liquid products.
Food
Thickening and Gelling Agent
Used in jams, jellies, ice cream, salad dressings, and sauces to modify texture.
Emulsifier
Stabilizes mixtures of oil and water, commonly used in products like mayonnaise and beverages.
Edible Films
Used to create edible coatings for fruits, vegetables, and candies.
Molecular Gastronomy
Forms gels and spheres in techniques like spherification.
Pharma
Alginate
- Nature’s gelling agent, unlocking the magic of texture in food and pharmaceutical science.
- Pharma Grade Alginate is Approved as a API in India, used as API in Antacids, As Individual Nutraceutical Supplement, As - Excipients, Drug delivery, Encapsulation, Wound dressings, Taste masking agents.
Industry
Cosmetics
Alginate is used as a thickener and moisture retainer in cosmetics. For example, it helps lipstick retain its color on the lip surface.
Textiles
Alginate is used in the textile industry.
Tissue engineering
Alginate is used in tissue engineering because of its biocompatibility, low toxicity, and low cost.
Environmental engineering
Alginate is used in environmental engineering.
Energy science
Alginate is used in energy science