Sodium alginate

Sodium alginate (CAS 9005-38-3 ), also known as E401 , is a natural polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed and sold as a water-soluble gum. It functions as a thickener, gelling agent, and stabilizer across food, pharmaceutical, and industrial manufacturing.

In food production, it thickens and stabilizes dairy products, dressings, and restructured meat, while enabling spherification in modernist culinary applications. Pharmaceutical manufacturers use it as a binder and controlled-release matrix in tablet formulations.

It also serves as a viscosity modifier in topical gels and wound dressings. Textile printers rely on it as a print paste thickener for reactive dye application on cotton, where consistent viscosity directly affects color definition and yield.

Paper and board coatings use this versatile compound to improve surface smoothness and ink holdout. It is supplied as an off-white to pale yellow powder in a range of viscosity grades, from low to high, which determine suitability for specific processing conditions.

Food-grade material is available to E401 and FCC specifications. Pharmaceutical-grade supply meets USP and Ph. Eur. standards, ensuring high purity for sensitive medical and healthcare applications.

Technical grades are stocked for textile and industrial applications where food or pharma compliance is not required. This ensures cost-effective solutions for manufacturing processes that do not require stringent regulatory certifications.

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