Alginates industrial applications

Table 5. Alginate Properties Utilized in Food and Industrial Applications...

The algin industry has pioneered the production and development of applications for water-soluble colloids on a scientific basis. This has resulted in the marked advances which have occurred in the chemistry and industry of algin during the past decade. This policy of research is expected to be of fundamental importance in the discovery and development of new markets for algin during the next decade. 

The rheological behavior of alginates in aqueous dispersions depends both on its molar mass (i.e. the length of the polymer chain) and the proportion and arrangement of the monomeric units. Then for a given industrial application it is necessary to select the most appropriate alginate [67]. 

Na salt employed as stabilizer for ico cream and cheese. Alginates have applications in some branches of the textile and allied industries. 

This chapter describes the main properties and methods for the characterization of polyelectrolytes derived from the biomass. The most important sources are plants, with cellulose and starch, which turn to polyelectrolytes after chemical modifications. CarboxymethylceUulose is the main cellulose derivative used in many industrial applications as good thickener and hydrophilic polymer for aqueous media. Cationic starches are mainly used in the paper industry for fiUa- retention or paper wet-strength. Natural polyelectrol5des are produced by algae with anionic alginates and carrageenans as the major representatives, which are used in food applications and for biomedical devices. In this respect, alginates are often associated in an electrostatic complex with a pseudo-natural polyelectrolyte (chitosan), a cationic polymer extracted from crustaceous shells. 

The microbial EPSs are a class of high-value polymers that have many industrial applications. Research in this area has led to the production of several microbial polysaccharides on an industrial scale like xanthan, dextran, alginate, geUan, curdlan. Xanthan and gellan are commercially most appreciated on the global market for hydrocolloids with xanthan gum being the only significant bacterial exopolysaccharide, which accounted for 6% of the total market value. ... 

Complex carbohydrates such as microbially produced xanthan, curdlan, pullulan, hyaluronic acid, alginates, carageenan, and guar are accepted as biodegradable and are finding uses where cost is not an impediment. Xanthan is the predominant microbial polysaccharide on the market, ca 10,000 tonnes world-wide (Byrom, 1991), and finds use in the food industry and as a thickener in many industrial applications. It is foreseeable that the others will gain acceptance in specialty areas where biodegradabilily is essential. 

Commercial applications for polysaccharides include their use as food additives, medicines and industrial products. Although plant polysaccharides (such as starch, agar and alginate) have been exploited commercially for many years, microbial exopolysaccharides have only become widely used over the past few decades. The diversity of polysaccharide structure is far greater in micro-organisms compared to plants and around 20 microbial polysaccharides with market potential have been described. However, microorganisms are still considered to be a rich and as yet underexploited source of exopolysaccharides. 

Alginate is another biopolymer extensively studied for its gel formation property with applications in the food packaging and pharmaceutical industries as well as for membranes and as biosensors. Such LDH hybrid assemblies were recently used for the detection of cations such as Ca [HO]. 

Uses. Alginates are used in a wide range of applications, particularly in the food, industrial, and pharmaceutical fields (25—27). As shown in Table 5, these applications arise from the properties of gelation, thickening/water holding, emulsification, stabilization/binding, and film forming. 

Food applications -of alginates [GUMS] (Vol 12) -of enzymes pNZYTffi APPLICATIONS - INDUSTRIAL] (Vol 9)... 

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