A gelling polysaccharide extracted from giant brown seaweed, it is useful in viscosity studiesAlginic acid sodium salt is widely utilized in the food industry as flavorless gum which enhances viscosity and acts as an emulsifier. It finds application as a thickener for reactive dyestuffs which is used in textile screen printing and carpet jet-printing. It is used as indigestion tablets and for the preparation of dental impressions. As a polymer, it combines with chitosan to synthesize a biodegradable porous scaffold which is useful for tissue engineering applications. It acts as a food additive and is used in production of gel-like foods such as baking. It is also used for encapsulating agents of microparticles of beta-galactosidae and in the preparation of alginate hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties.