Reverse spherification is a method of molecular gastronomy. It is similar to spherification, but different from direct spherification in the way that it is used to enclose liquid containing alcohol content, as well as liquid with calcium content such as milk and yogurt. When the liquid containing alcohol or calcium salt got dropped into an alginate bath, the liquid will draw itself into a spherical shape and got encapsulated by the gel-like membrane formed by the cross-linking of the calcium ions and the alginate polymer strands[1]. Larger spheres can be created using reverse spherification; and since the calcium would not continue to diffuse into the center of the sphere after removing the jelly from the alginate bath, the center would not easily become solidified[2], enabling the product to be able to store for a longer period of time compared to those produced from direct spherification.

For conducting reverse spherification with a liquid containing deficiency in calcium ion concentration, calcium salt could be added to the liquid; for example, Calcium Lactate Gluconate could be added to a liquid to produce a 2% concentration in the liquid [3] that would be effective for conducting reverse spherification. Both the liquid for consumption and the alginate bath should be left to stand after preparing since air bubbles can be trapped inside the liquid. If too much air bubbles are trapped inside the flavourful liquid, the liquid sphere might not sink when dropping into the alginate bath, resulting in an uneven skin and weak spots in the skin.[4].

References

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"Spherification (direct and reverse)". scienceandcooking.seas.harvard.edu. Harvard Science and Cooking. n.d. Retrieved 2 June 2017.

"Reverse Spherification". molecularrecipes.com. Molecular Recipes. n.d. Retrieved 2 June 2017.

"Reverse Spherification". chefsteps.com. ChefStep. n.d. Retrieved 2 June 2017.

"Cross-linking polymers – alginate worms" (PDF). Royal Society of Chemistry: 1. Retrieved 2 June 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)