Product Overview

Comes in a 500gram Tub.

Sodium Alginate is extracted from brown seaweed (Laminaria, Macrocystis). After harvesting seaweed is dried, ground and washed then processed into whitish flour. Alginate has been widely used for many years.

Properties

Alginate is a food gelling agent. It is indigestible but provides a gel without heating when calcium ions are added. The gel sets rapidly. For some applications it is necessary to inhibit the rate of gelation. This is achieved by addition of other ingredients. Alginate forms irreversible gels that are heat stable.

Applications

• jellies / fruit preparations
• jellies, weak gels, fruit preparations
• restructured fruit and vegetables
• gelled wine preserves
• gelled tea and herbal beverages
• Mousse
• Cream and fillings
• Aspic and coating

How to use

Use Alginate at a concentration of between 2- 10 g per kg of solution depending on the firmness of the gel that is required. Sprinkle alginate into the vortex of a rapidly mixed solution. To improve dispersion premix with another dried ingredient such as sugar (3 - 5 times its weight).

Two methods are standard for making alginate gels:
Using a setting bath or by contact diffusion: An alginate solution is mixed with the cross-linking agent – typically Calcium Chloride. The alginate solution may be immersed in a bath of CaCl2 or dropped as individual spheres into the CaCl2 bath. The alginate solution hardens in the presence of calcium ions, setting starting at the outer surface and proceeding until eventually all the alginate solution has gelled. Generally speaking, the longer the reaction time and the stronger the solution of CaCl2 the firmer the final gel will be. We recommend you rinse l your structured preparations thoroughly to remove any excess.

Internal setting method: alginate is mixed into a puree or with other ingredients and blended thoroughly with another solution that contains ionic calcium.

Food regulations

Sodium alginate is a permitted food additive and is assigned EU no. E401. For all commercial use, please follow our disclaimer and advice and refer to regulatory texts for limitations to use.

Storage

Store in a dry, cool place, away from direct sunlight in its original packaging.

Best before: refer to date indicated on packaging.

After opening: keeps 6 months.