Sodium Alginate (E401) is extracted from brown seaweed. This light yellow water soluble compound sodium alginate is available in paper grade, pharma grade, textile grade, tech grade, food grade, and cosmetic grade.

The sodium alginate in food grade application:
1. It is used as a stabilizer for ice cream, yogurt, cream, and cheese.
2. It acts as a thickener and emulsifier for salad, pudding, jam, tomato juice, and canned products.
3. It is a hydration agent for noodles, bread, cool and frozen products. In the presence of calcium and acid mediums, it forms resilient gels.
4.  It is a cold gelling agent that needs no heat to gel. It is most commonly used with calcium lactate or calcium chloride in the spherification process.