POTASSIUM ALGINATE
Prepared at the 49th JECFA (1997) , published in FNP 52 Add 5 (1997) superseding specifications prepared at the 44th JECFA (1995), published in FNP 52 Add 3 (1995). An ADI 'not specified' was established at the 39th JECFA (1992)
SYNONYMS INS No. 402
DEFINITION Potassium salt of alginic acid
C.A.S. number 9005-36-1
Chemical formula (C6 H7 KO6)n
Structural formula Structural formula from Phillips, Wedlock, Williams: Gums and Stabilizers for the Food Industry 5 (1990) by permission of Oxford University Press.
The number and sequence of the Mannuronate and Glucuronate residues shown above vary in the naturally occurring alginate. The associated water molecules are not shown.
Formula weight Structural unit: 214.22 (theoretical) , 238 (actual average) Macromolecule: 10,000 - 600,000 (typical average)
Assay Yields, on the dried basis, not less than 16.5% and not more than 19.5% of
carbon dioxide (CO2), equivalent to not less than 89.2% and not more than 105.5% of potassium alginate (C6H7 KO6)n.
DESCRIPTION White to yellowish brown filamentous, grainy, granular or powdered forms
FUNCTIONAL USES Stabilizer, thickener, gelling agent, emulsifier
