Spherification

There are two main methods for creating such spheres, which differ based on the calcium content of the liquid product to be spherified.

During a reaction time of a few seconds to a few minutes, the calcium solution causes the outer layer of each alginated liquid sphere to form a thin, flexible skin.

The resulting "popping boba" or artificial "caviar" balls are rinsed then in water and saved for later use in food or beverages.

A more recent technique is frozen reverse spherification, which involves pre-freezing spheres containing calcium lactate gluconate and then submerging them in the sodium alginate bath.

Basic and reverse spherification methods give much the same result: a sphere of liquid held by a thin gel membrane, texturally similar to roe.