A colloidal polysaccharide derived from alginic acid and used as a stabilizer and emulsifier, especially in ice cream.

See also:

• alginate

This gelatinous material, a polysaccharide extract from brown algae, is widely used in foods, medicines, and industrial and household products. The main algae that produce it are Laminaria species and Macrocystis pyrifera (a chemically different version of algin is produced by the bacterium Azobacter vinelandii.)

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From the BioTech Dictionary at http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/. For further information see the BioTech homenode.

Al"gin (?), n. (Chem.)

A nitrogenous substance resembling gelatin, obtained from certain algæ.

 

© Webster 1913