This section provides an overview for algin as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 6 algin manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked algin companies as of April, 2024: 1.Toronto Research Chemicals, 2.Mansons Laboratories, 3.Renata Limited.
Table of Contents
Alginic acid, found in brown algae like kelp and wakame seaweed, is a polysaccharide composed of two monosaccharides: ß-D-mannuronate (M) and α-L-guluronate (G). These are polymerized into a linear chain. In its pure form, alginate appears as a white to pale yellow fibrous, granular, or powdery substance at room temperature.
While pure alginate is insoluble in water, its alkali salts are water-soluble. It is insoluble in fats, oils, and organic solvents. The properties of alginate, such as gelation capacity and gel strength, depend on the M/G ratio and the arrangement of these components.
Algin and its derivatives are used in various applications, including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and textile processing. In food, it serves as a quality improver for flour products, thickeners, and stabilizers in items like ice cream and syrups. Algin's gelatinizing properties are utilized in artificial salmon roe and flavor-trapping capsules, as well as in manufacturing adhesives, films, fibers, water-based paints, gelling agents, and paper bleed prevention.
In medicine, algin is used as a tablet disintegrant and in surgical threads, hemostatic agents, and ointments.
Algin is extracted from brown algae, such as kelp. The extraction process involves alkaline treatment, filtration, acid precipitation, and drying to obtain algin. The M/G ratio and the arrangement of mannuronic acid and gluronic acid vary depending on the source of seaweed.
Algin's properties, including gel strength, are influenced by the M/G ratio and the molecular arrangement. Sodium alginate is water-soluble, forming a hydrogel with multivalent cations like Ca2+. It dissolves in alkali and forms acidic fibrous gels at low pH. The gel strength is primarily determined by the G block content.
Algin is available as algin and various salts, including sodium, potassium, and ammonium alginate. These salts form viscous aqueous solutions in cold and hot water, while algin and calcium alginate are water-insoluble. Algin products are sold in small quantities for laboratory use and in larger quantities for commercial applications in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textile processing, and other industries.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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LGC Standards Ltd., established in 1842, is a global British manufacturer and supplier of reference standards, headquartered in Teddington, Middlesex, with offices in 20 countries worldwide. As a subsidiary of LGC Group, the United Kingdom’s National Measurement Institute, LGC Standards also serves as the Government Chemist, providing expert opinions based on independent chemical and bioanalytical measurements. Under the business unit LGC Industrial, the company offers industrial measurement tools. Additionally, their subsidiaries, including Toronto Research Chemicals Inc (TRC) of Canada, LGC Mikromol™, and Dr. Ehrenstorfer™ of Germany, develop research tools, standards for pharmaceutical quality control, and reference materials for food and environmental analysis.
Toronto Research Chemicals Inc., founded in 1982 and based in Toronto, Canada, is a manufacturer of biochemicals and is a subsidiary of LGC Standards. The ISO 9001-certified company has an extensive catalog of over 350,000 products, including metabolites, impurities, and natural products APIs, which are used in several applications like environmental analysis, forensic science, and medicinal R&D. The company supports the scientific community across more than 120 countries and has 19 production laboratories. In 2019, it was bought by LGC, which provides components to customers in the pharmaceutical, clinical diagnostics, and food markets, among others.
Ranking as of April 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Toronto Research Chemicals |
29.6%
|
2 | Mansons Laboratories |
22.2%
|
3 | Renata Limited |
18.5%
|
4 | LGC Standards |
14.8%
|
5 | Alginate Industry Co., Ltd |
11.1%
|
6 | KIMICA Corporation |
3.7%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the algin page as of April 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1 | 33.3% |
Canada | 1 | 33.3% |
Bangladesh | 1 | 33.3% |