SYNONYMS INS No. 401
DEFINITION Sodium salt of alginic acid
C.A.S. number 9005-38-3
Chemical formula (C6 H7 NaO6)n
Structural formula Structural formula from Phillips, Wedlock and 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 water molecules associated with the alginate molecule are not shown in the above structural formula.
Formula weight Structural unit : 198.11 (theoretical), 222 (actual average)
Macromolecule : 10,000 - 600,000 (typical average)
Assay Yields, on the dried basis, not less than 18.0% and not more than 21.0% of carbon dioxide (CO2), equivalent to not less than 90.8% and not more than 106.0% of sodium alginate (C6H7 NaO6)n.
DESCRIPTION White to yellowish brown filamentous, grainy, granular or powdered forms
FUNCTIONAL USES Stabilizer, thickener, gelling agent, emulsifier
