Sodium Alginate Supplier South Africa

What Is Sodium Alginate?

Sodium alginate is the sodium salt of alginic acid, a linear polysaccharide extracted from the cell walls of brown seaweed. It forms high-viscosity, thixotropic gels when dispersed in water and undergoes rapid ionic gelation in the presence of calcium ions, a property exploited in bead encapsulation of probiotics and live microbials. Sodium alginate is GRAS-approved and has E401 status for food and feed applications.

Aquafeed and Feed Binding

Sodium alginate is a highly effective binder in aquafeed, producing water-stable pellets at inclusion rates of 0.5–2%. Its neutral taste and high gel strength result in pellets that maintain structural integrity during the feeding window, minimising nutrient leaching and improving feed conversion. In moist or semi-moist pet foods it acts as a texturiser and water-binding agent that improves slice and loaf stability.

Encapsulation and Veterinary Use

The ionic gelation mechanism of sodium alginate with calcium ions is widely used to produce beads and microspheres encapsulating live bacteria (probiotics), enzymes, essential oils, and acids for controlled release in the gastrointestinal tract. In veterinary paste formulations alginate thickeners prevent settling and improve dose consistency. Terracore Chemicals supplies multiple viscosity grades of food-grade sodium alginate in 25 kg bags.