Organic Modification of the Polysaccharide Alginate

The polysaccharide alginate is a linear chain binary copolymer made of guluronic acid and mannuronic acid subunits. Alginate is a natural polymer material produced by a number of organisms, including brown algae and bacteria. It has found application in a variety of areas, including food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. In recent years, a number of studies have been published on covalent modification of alginate, often through carbodiimide-mediated reactions at the carboxyl moieties. These modifications have imparted a wide range of different chemical and physical material properties, including altered reactivity, hydrophilicity, viscosity and sorption characteristics. This mini-review focuses on the methods and applications of organically modified alginates from recent publications.