- Sodium alginate
The
chemical compound sodium alginate is thesodium salt ofalginic acid . Its empirical chemical formula is NaC6H7O6. Its form as a gum, when extracted from the cell walls of brownalgae , is used by the foods industry to increaseviscosity and as anemulsifier . It is also used in indigestion tablets and the preparation of dental impressions. Sodium alginate has no discernible flavor.Another major use of sodium alginate is
reactive dye printing , where it is used in thetextile industry .Uses
A major application for sodium alginate is as thickener for reactive dyestuffs (such as the Procion cotton-reactive dyes) in textile screen-printing and carpet jet-printing. Alginates do not react with these dyes and wash out easily, unlike starch-based thickeners.
Sodium alginate is a good chelator for pulling radioactive toxins such as iodine-131 and strontium-90 from the body which have taken the place of their non-radioactive counterparts. [Sutton, A., Harrison, G. E., Carr, T. E., and Barltrop, D. Reduction in the absorption of dietary strontium in children by an alginate derivative. Br.J.Radiol. 44 [523] , 567. 1971] [Sutton, A., Harrison, B. E., Carr, T. E., and Barltrop, D. Reduction in the absorption of dietary strontium in children by an alginate derivative. Int.J.Radiat.Biol.Relat Stud.Phys.Chem.Med. 19 [1] , 79-85. 1971] It is also used in immobilizing enzymes by inclusion.
As a food additive, sodium alginate is used especially in the production of gel-like foods. For example, bakers' "Chellies" are often gelled alginate "jam." Also, the pimento stuffing in prepared cocktail olives is usually injected as a slurry at the same time that the stone is ejected; the slurry is subsequently set by immersing the olive in a solution of a
calcium salt which causes rapid gelation by electrostatic cross-linking. A similar process can be used to make "chunks" of everything from cat food through "reformed" ham or fish to "fruit" pieces for pies. It has theE-number 401.It is also know as a harmless, inexpensive, but effective way to lower cholesterol, and also remove harmfull toxins.
References
External links
* [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.10/start.html?pg=4 article] Wired on
Easy Cheese , describing sodium alginate
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