PHYSICAL PROPERTIES : Sodium alginate is the sodium salt of alginic acid.This chemical compound generally occurs in white to yellowish brown powdered or granular form.It dissolves easily in water to form a viscous solution.It is insoluble in ether and ethanol.It has no particular flavour.

FORMULA : Na6C6H7O6

SYNONYMS : Algin, Alginic acid,Sodium salt

USES : Sodium alginate stretches its arms in a wide variety of application.It is a boom for the textile industry as it has a rich use there.The extract of the product, gives a completely different outlook, in which it has been used . Wether cotton or nylon , rayon or silk it gives a good penetrability to the fibre output.It is also used in reactive dye printing .Due to its large application in food industry, it is reffered to as a "wonderful food additive". In different food products,it acts as a stabilizer,thickener and emulsifier. Man made fruits also take sodium alginate as raw material,the taste of which is exactly same as those of the natural fruits.Its improved property, makes it capable, of avoiding the products, stick to the package ,when used in dairy products.   It is also used in starching ,paint, agriculture,  welding and pesticides.In the paper industry, it helps in giving the paper a smooth and gloss finish.It also increases  the absorption capacity of printing ink ,soil and wax.