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Although alginate is one of the most widely used hydrogel-forming polysaccharides due to its biocompatibility and gelation ability, its intrinsic limitations often hinder the development of hydrogels with fully optimized performance. This review provides a systematic comparison of alginate-based composite hydrogels formed with complementary biopolymers, including whey proteins, gelatin, pectin, starch, and chitosan, focusing on their synergistic effects on structural, mechanical, and functional properties. Recent studies are critically analyzed to elucidate how polymer\u2013polymer interactions influence gel network formation, environmental ionic stability, and encapsulation performance. Particular attention is given to fabrication strategies and formulation parameters that enhance the immobilization and controlled release of probiotics, vitamins, polyphenols, and other bioactive compounds. By integrating current knowledge on structure\u2013function relationships and processing approaches, this review offers practical design guidelines for the development of multifunctional alginate-based hydrogel systems for applications in functional foods and nutraceutical delivery.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/gels12030266","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]],"date-time":"2026-03-23T09:48:42Z","timestamp":1774259322000},"page":"266","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Effect of Biopolymer Additives on Functional Properties of Alginate-Based Composite Hydrogels"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7013-8521","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tanja","family":"Krunic","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Innovation Center of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy Ltd., University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7995-316X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nevena","family":"Ilic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Innovation Center of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy Ltd., University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6489-8302","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Osmokrovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105968","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arabjc.2024.105968","article-title":"Hydrogels: Classifications, fundamental properties, applications, and scopes in recent advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine\u2014A comprehensive review","volume":"17","author":"Khan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Arab. 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