Structures, properties and application of alginic acid: A review

Alginic acid is a natural polysaccharide, which has been widely concerned and applied due to its excellent water solubility, film formation, biodegradability and biocompatibility. This paper briefly describes the source, properties, structure and application of sodium alginate by summarizing and analyzing the current literature. This paper reviews the application of sodium alginate in the fields of food industry, catalyst, health, water treatment, packaging, immobilized cells, and looks forward to its application prospects.