Ammonium alginate

Ammonium alginate is the ammonium salt of alginic acid (E400), extracted from brown seaweed. It serves as a thickener, stabiliser, and gelling agent in food products, functioning comparably to sodium alginate (E401) and potassium alginate (E402). It is less commonly used than the sodium and calcium forms, but finds application where ammonium salts are preferred for processing reasons.

JECFA's ADI is "not specified," evaluated in 1975. Ammonium alginate is metabolised similarly to other alginates — the fibre component passes through the gut largely undigested, while the ammonium is incorporated into normal nitrogen metabolism. No adverse effects have been identified at any realistic dietary dose. The compound is considered equivalent in safety to other alginate salts.

Ammonium alginate is approved in the EU, US (GRAS), UK, and most global markets. It is encountered in a variety of thickened and stabilised food products. For the general population there are no safety concerns. It offers the same nutritional fibre benefits and sustainable sourcing profile as other alginates from brown seaweed.