Sodium alginate, a natural polysaccharide from brown algae like kelp, dissolves in water to form viscous colloids.
In food, it acts as thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier—controlling ice cream crystals, improving noodle stickiness.
In pharmaceuticals, it serves as excipient: tablet binder, suspension thickener, hemostatic. With good biocompatibility, it shows promise in tissue engineering and wound healing.