Trisodium Citrate vs Sodium Citrate

Forest_Park_17210

I am thinking of making some spheres this weekend, but I'm curious about the ingredients I need.

I don't seem I can buy Sodium Citrate in my country, but I am able to buy Trisodium Citrate. Is there a difference in these ingredients? Would it alter the resulting spheres if I used Trisodium Citrate?

Thanks! And have a nice day!

Matthew_77468

I don't have much experience with these materials, but we might be able to think through it a little bit. The difference between mono-, di-, and trisodium citrate is only that 1-2 of the oxygens are protonated (or none in the case of trisodium citrate). Realistically, if you place trisodium citrate in water, you will expect the water to protonate these oxygens anyways. I suspect that this chemical will act as a mild base, which will effectively raise the pH.

In terms of taste, Sodium Citrate will always affect the taste. It adds a little bit of a salty, as well as a sour taste. Using Trisodium Citrate should not make any significant difference from using disodium or monosodium citrate. In fact, I would bet that unless you are buying from a chemical supplier, "sodium citrate" actually includes a mixture of mono-, di-, and trisodium citrate. Make sure that the Trisodium Citrate you are buying is food grade and you should be okay for some testing!