Alginate is a biocompatible polymer commonly used for cell encapsulation and synthesis of biomaterials in pure or modified form. In this study we have developed a fluorescence based method to visualize Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained alginate (pure/protein modified) by electrophoresing it in agarose gel, followed by its UV exposure. The shift in the migration pattern of H&E stain indicates presence of alginate, whereas the conjugated protein (fibronectin) could be detected by UV spectroscopy. H&E stain was found to specifically and permanently stain alginate and the fluorescence and migration pattern of H&E was not affected in the presence of other dye (Rhodamine 13 Isothiocyanate - RBITC) conjugated to alginate. We found that the presence of all the ingredients of H&E is mandatory to influence the migration pattern of this dye (bound to alginate) upon agarose gel electrophoresis. The main advantage of this method is that it is cheaper and faster than the other methods for alginate visualization and can be accomplished with standard lab chemicals and equipment (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.