Ammonium Alginate

E 403 AMMONIUM  ALGINATE

Chemical name                                       Ammonium salt of alginic acid
Chemical formula                                   (C6H11NO6)n
Molecular weight                                    10 000-600 000 (typical average)

Description:  White to yellowish fibrous or granular powder

Identification
Test for ammonium             Passes test
Test for alginic acid             Passes test

Purity
Loss on drying               Not more than 15 %  (105 °C, 4 hours) 
Sulphated ash               Not more than 7 %  on the dried basis 
Water insoluble matter  Not more than 2 %  on the anhydrous basis 
Formaldehyde               Not more than 50 mg/kg
Arsenic                          Not more than 3 mg/kg 
Lead                              Not more than 2 mg/kg 
Mercury                         Not more than 1 mg/kg 
Cadmium                      Not more than 1 mg/kg

Microbiological criteria
Total plate count            Not more than 5 000 colonies per gram 
Yeast and moulds          Not more than 500 colonies per gram 
Escherichia  coli             Absent in 5 g
Salmonella spp.             Absent in 10 g

Ammonium Alginate Images