Molecular Gastronomy
Materials needed:
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Calcium chloride (CaCl2)
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Sodium alginate (NaC6H7O6)
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Blue food coloring
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Distilled water
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Glass cup
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Beaker
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Plastic container (filled with 1L of water)
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Digital weighing scale
Experiment date: 2/24/25
Written by: Sophia Han
Mixture 1
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10 g of sodium alginate
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125 ml of distilled water
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2 drops of food coloring (optional)
Mixture 2
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15g of calcium chloride
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1L of water in the plastic container
Mixture 1 + Mixture 2
Mix the two mixtures together.
Discussion
Objective: Demonstrate how science intersects with everyday cooking and eating processes through spherification and gelification.
Molecular gastronomy is an innovative way of cooking that combines food with science. It is called 'molecular' because it is typically concerned with the physical and chemical transformations that occur in food while cooking. This branch of food science involves techniques such as emulsification, gelification, and spherification. It has shown a large increase in its significance in recent years to create a more visually appealing and uniquely flavored nutrient.
In this experiment, two particular culinary techniques are used: gelification and spherification. Gelification is simply the process of turning a liquid into a gelatinous form, while spherification is a technique which turns liquids into semi-solid spheres. As the sodium alginate turns into calcium alginate, a strong covering is formed on the surface and produces a gel-like substance.