**4. Conclusions**

Alginate is a seaweed product which is a polysaccharide or carbohydrate polymer has plenty of applications in day-to-day life due to its potential characters. The Alginate properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, hydrogel formations, nontoxic, pH-responsive, and its ability to form a gel with crosslinking agents find their application in controlled, sustained, and targeted drug delivery carriers for a wide range of drugs or any other bioactive agents. Alginates films like any other hydrogels lack physical strength, which can be overcome by crosslinking with different divalent or trivalent cations. A continuous challenge was on researchers to explore the possibility of modification of alginate structure by grafting with other low or high molecular weight polymers to improve its strength based on the need of the application. Biomedical applications, specifically in wound healing *in -vitro* cell culture, and tissue engineering, look interesting as a potential biomaterial. Acid-responsive drugs and drugs that irritate the gastric mucosa can also be released with alginate. Alginates in combination with other polymer additives or nanoparticles are used in wound healing in diabetic wounds, ulcers, and burns. Alginates are used in an increasing number of food-related applications and have the potential to be used in a growing number of food-related applications. The gelling property of alginates makes them ideal for use as thickeners, stabilizers. Alginate consumption has several physiological effects in the gastrointestinal tract and in the body that are similar to a variety of other viscous polysaccharides. Dentures made of alginates composites are found to be very flexible, removable, and compact with the gum tissues. The high viscosity of alginates finds suitable thickeners in the textile industry as a paste containing a dye that can be applied to the fabric by either screen or roller printing. Potassium alginates and gel-type animal feeds are found to highly nutritious for cats, fishes, and piglets.

*Properties and Applications of Alginates*
