Sphere taste bitter

Hi I have been experiment with the reverse spherification, The sphere came out pretty good, but I have hit into some problem with the taste of sphere. they all came out pretty bitter.

This is the recipe i use.

For 175g Juice I use 3.5g Calcium lactate.(2%)

For Alginate bath I use 500g water to 2.4g Sodium Alginate

I first thought the bitter taste could be the problem with the ratio of calcium lactate that turns juice bitter, then i tried different ratio of calcium lactate.

- 1%

- 1.5%

- 1.8%

All juice was refrigerated over 12 hours after blending with calcium lactate to remove bubbles.

They still turns out quite bitter. then I tasted the juice mixture (before spherification) it is very bitter..so it is not the problem with alginate bath

Doesn't anyone know know what I might have done wrong?

Thanks

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Comments

Brendan_Lee_56950

What kind of juice are you using?

Mike_Fung_37584

I use simple home cold brew lemon tea.

I also try other juice like commercial apple juice. It came out has a similar noticeable bitterness

So I wonder if the calcium would have this kind of taste.

Thanks

lfmichaud

Did you try to make water spheres to be sure that the bitterness is really in the calcium lactate and not your products. Do you have calcium lactate gluconate to compare?

Mike_Fung_37584

I think i will try another calcium lactate to compare

Thanks

Mike_Fung_37584

Just tried to just another calcium lactate with water

Still using 175g water to 3.5g calcium lactate

Slightly better, but still have the bitterness and kind of plastic taste to it

It took over the taste of the original juice, not quite pleasant taste

On the left is the water with new calcium lactate on the right is the old one

Brendan_Lee_56950

Are you using distilled water?

prince_of_porcelain

Have you tried calcium lactate gluconate? You'll need about twice as much as calcium lactate, but should be much more neutral tasting.

Mike_Fung_37584

Hi Brendan

For the water test, I didn't use the distilled water, will try that next.

Hi Brian

I actually not exactly sure if I am using calcium lactate glauconate, I sourced them from a local supplier in Hong Kong "the product name is in Chinese" they did said it is calcium lactate.

This is what they looks like.