Trisodium Dicarboxymethyl Alaninate (MGDA) Supplier South Africa

What Is Trisodium Dicarboxymethyl Alaninate?

Trisodium dicarboxymethyl alaninate (MGDA, methylglycinediacetic acid trisodium salt) is a next-generation aminopolycarboxylate chelating agent developed as a readily biodegradable replacement for EDTA and NTA in detergent formulations. It sequesters calcium, magnesium, iron, and other divalent metal ions with high efficiency across the full alkaline pH range typical of detergent applications, without the environmental persistence concerns associated with EDTA.

Builder and Chelation Performance

MGDA functions as a builder in automatic dishwash and laundry detergent formulations, sequestering hardness minerals that would otherwise precipitate surfactants, reduce enzyme activity, and form scale on equipment surfaces. Its builder performance is comparable to STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) in many applications, and it is fully compatible with bleach systems, enzymes, and nonionic surfactants. MGDA is also effective at removing calcium and magnesium deposits from hard surfaces when formulated into descaling sprays.

Eco-Label Compliance and Supply

MGDA is readily biodegradable (passes OECD 301B), making it the preferred chelant for EU Ecolabel, ECOCERT, and other eco-certified cleaning product formulations where EDTA is excluded. Terracore Chemicals supplies MGDA as a 38–40% aqueous solution in drums and IBCs to cleaning product manufacturers targeting environmentally-accredited market segments in South Africa and internationally.