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E401ThickenerLow concern
Sodium Alginate
In plain words
The short version
The water-soluble sodium salt of seaweed alginate — thickens sauces and cold-sets into gels with calcium.
Why it's green
It's widely considered safe at the amounts used in food, so we mark it green. The Safety section below has the details.
Safety profile
No ADI specified. Not digested; behaves as soluble fiber. Well tolerated; very large amounts can be mildly laxative and bind some minerals.
The detail
The sodium salt of alginic acid from brown seaweed — the most widely used alginate.
Thickener, stabilizer, and gelling agent. Cold-sets into gels on contact with calcium (E509) — the basis of restructured foods (reformed onion rings, pimento strips in olives, fruit pieces) and of culinary 'spherification'. Stabilizes ice cream against ice crystals.
White-to-yellow water-soluble powder giving viscous solutions; reacts with calcium to form firm, heat-stable gels.
Permitted in the EU, the US (GRAS), and globally.
Sources
- EFSA ANS Panel — Re-evaluation of alginic acid and its sodium, potassium, ammonium and calcium salts (E 400–E 404) as food additives (2017), doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2017.5049 — European Food Safety Authority, 2017. No ADI specified; no safety concern
- WHO JECFA database — Sodium alginate (INS 401) — World Health Organization / JECFA, 1992. ADI not specified (JECFA)
- 21 CFR 184.1724 — Sodium alginate (GRAS affirmation) — U.S. eCFR / FDA, 1983. US GRAS status
Checked against these sources on .
Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.