**3.6 Alginates used in animal feeds**

Alginate salts of sodium and potassium are meant to be used as industrial substances as emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, gelling agents, and binders. There is no competent authority that has recommended the usage of sodium alginate in feeding stuffs for dogs, other non-food-producing animals, and fish. Whereas potassium alginate is used in cat and dog food at a speck of 40 g/kg feed [89]. The use of alginates in fish feed has no harmful effect on the consumer. Alginates are said to be slightly irritating to the eyes but not to the skin. The use of these ingredients in fish feed poses no threat to the aquatic environment.

A gel-type livestock feed mixture is formed by mixing feed nutrients, water, alginate, and a water-insoluble calcium component to resist the calcium content from reacting with the alginate. The calcium component is solubilized or the sequestrate affecting the reactivity between the alginate and the calcium component is extracted after the feed mixture is formed, resulting in a gel feed containing a gel matrix containing the feed nutrient ingredients. The livestock can then be fed the gel meal [90].
