Physical State Powder Usage Commerical Grade Standard Reagent Grade, Technical Grade Sodium Alginate is a natural polysaccharide product extracted from the cell wall of brown seaweed that grows in cold water regions. The natural function of alginate is to give flexibility to the seaweed, so it is common to find higher contents of alginate in species found in troubled waters. Appearance: clear and transparent Flavor release: as most hard set gels, poor flavor release