Alginates in Foods - Practical Food Rheology - page 129

stability make them ideal for use as thickeners, stabilisers or restructur-
ing agents, as well as for encapsulating active enzymes and live bacteria,
and for protective coating of fruits and vegetables.
Furthermore, alginate intake in the diet has a number of physiological
effects. Alginates can be given in low viscosity formulations, which can
increase palatability. Because of the presence of acid in the stomach,
alginate formulations can gel in situ , which can increase satiety and
reduce absorption and digestion rates of other macronutrients in the
diet.
The constant advancement and interest in 'high value' applications
of alginate in drug delivery, biomedicine and functional foods will de-
velop the knowledge base, the application of specific design and the
novel functionality of alginates. Large steps are already being taken to
achieve this with the pioneering work performed at several institutions
on the design of alginate sequence using mannuronan epimerases and
the development of chemically modified alginates, both of which can
ultimately be prepared 'application specific'.

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