Alginate as a versatile polymer matrix with biomedical and food applications

Abstract Alginate displays excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability and has many different applications in biomedicine and the food industry. Alginate-based biomaterials can be used in regenerative medicine as a drug delivery system and cell carrier. In food applications, it is a popular ingredient, food additive, and carrier of essential components in alginate gel encapsulation. The anionic polysaccharide can be easily modified via chemical and physical reactions to obtain three-dimensional (3D) scaffolding derivatives such as hydrogels, microspheres, microcapsules, sponges, foams, and fibers. Alginate-derived supported matrices’ biodegradability, biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and exceptional chelating properties make them useful for a broad range of applications. This chapter focuses on recent advances in the use of alginate and its derivatives in the biomedical and food industries, including uses such as wound healing, cartilage and bone regeneration, drug delivery, food additives, and, in encapsulated form, carriers of micronutrients and bioactive components.