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Calcium Lactate

What is Calcium Lactate?

Calcium lactate is a calcium salt resulting from the fermentation of lactic acid and calcium. It is a white crystalline power when solid and is highly soluble in cold liquids. This is commonly used as a calcium fortifier in various food products including beverages and supplements.

Calcium lactate is also used to regulate acidity levels, in cheese making, as baking soda, as a food thickener and as a preservative for fresh fruits. In molecular gastronomy, it is most commonly used for basic spherification and reverse spherification due to the lack of bitterness in finished products made from calcium lactate.

Like calcium chloride, calcium lactate is used alongside sodium alginate. In regular spherification, it used in the bath. On the other hand, it is used as a thickener in reverse spherification and sodium alginate is used in the bath.

Dosage for calcium lactate can range anywhere from less than 1 gram to 2 grams for every 100 ml. For spherification processes, as much as 20g per liter may be used, depending on the results that want to be achieved. Concentration of this ingredient may also depend on the specific ingredients being used in the process. It should be noted that solutions with a greater PH than 3, will gel quickly in calcium lactate.