Watermelon Caviar

This is a recipe that is adapted from Earl Lee's watermelon caviar Recipe
from Toastable.com
(http://toastable.com/2010/08/watermelon-caviar-an-introduction-to-molecular-gas­tronomy/). It demonstrates a technique used in molecular gastronomy. A polymer, sodium alginate, is mixed in with watermelon juice. The mixture is then carefully inserted, with a syringe, into a solution of calcium chloride. A chemical reaction happens between the calcium chloride and sodium alginate to form calcium alginate. The calcium alginate is not soluble in water and thus forms a gel around the outside of the watermelon juice. The calcium alginate watermelon spheres are edible.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• chemistry
• molecular
• gastronomy
• spheres
• sodium
• alginate
• polymer

[sciencefix]

Amazon.com sells calcium chloride.

[sciencefix]

My students figured that out. Squirt the liquid into a spoon, then dunk the spoon to get a larger sphere.

[sciencefix]

Yes, it's an edible polymer.

[sciencefix]

Unfortunately after a day or so, they alginate breaks down and it all kind of mushes together.

[PoisonousOne]

Where to buy calcium chloride?

[jeffshubert]

I'm so hungry for some polymer right now! Seriously though, I wanna try it! Thanks!

[squarkman]

Great. How does one create larger spheres. Say the size of an egg yolk?

[diggly12345]

can you eat it?

[FPengu1n]

So do the resulting Alginate spheres last longer than the juice by itself? If so, natural preservative right there.