Reverse spherification

When the liquid containing alcohol or calcium salt is dropped into an alginate bath, the liquid will draw itself into a spherical shape and becomes encapsulated by the gel-like membrane formed by the cross-linking of the calcium ions and the alginate polymer strands.

Both the liquid for consumption and the alginate bath should be left to stand after preparation to eliminate air bubbles.

The first is the amount of free calcium ions and density of the liquid to be made for spherification.

The amount of free calcium ions needs to be sufficient in order to form a gel-like capsule reaction with sodium alginate.

[5] Secondly, the density of the liquid needs to be adjusted in order to allow the sufficient surface tension to form a spherical shape.

A typical product obtained from direct spherification (left), and a typical product of reverse spherification (right)
Yogurt, with its high calcium content, is an example of a liquid that can be used for reverse spherification