Hi, I have been trying to make an oil-based reverse spherification product.
See this link for the basic process with water: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/reverse-spherification?context=spherification
The main problem I am running into is how to get calcium ion into the oil. I am thinking I could make an emulsion with calcium dissolved in water or alcohol, but I want the product to be mostly oil.
I deeply appreciate any help you can offer.
Look, oil is a non polar solvent and Calcium is is polar ion. Therefore you could not react it an oil medium… Further what you are making is a water and oil emulsion where water is the dispersed phase while oil is the dispersion medium. You are binding the calcium ions in little amount of water but dispersed in large quantities of oil. Alginates are not oil soluble either. Therefore there is a huge oil barrier to prevent the interactions of calcium ions and Alginates due to the minimal amount of water in your W/O emulsion.
Thanks for the reply. You are saying it is not possible to do with oil then?
Yes… as calcium ions and alginate will not react in the non polar oil medium.