ABSTRACT
Spherification is the formation of liquid spheres inside a thin gelled membrane. Sodium alginate is a polysaccharide extracted from the ocean’s brown algae, first mentioned in 1881 by the British chemist E.C.C. Stanford. It has the properties of a hydrocolloid and is used in the food industry as a stabilizer and thickening agent due to its ability to retain water. When the alginate moiety reacts with calcium ions, it makes a non-thermoreversible gel, which is why it is used in the process of “spherification”. Calcium ions are naturally present in a number of food ingredients, such as milk and milk-derived products, as well as plant and animal tissues. For spherification, various calcium salts can be used: chloride, gluconate, glucose lactate, and lactate. Cryogenic cooking, also called cryo-cooking, has become more popular with the molecular cuisine movement. Liquid nitrogen is a very good way to preserve the flavour, consistency, colour, and nutritional value of foods, especially for delicate products.
