where to buy sodium alginate? [General]

2009 May 5
so i got this class presentation and i want to do those little beads (caviar)in a cocktail. for the caviar I need sodium alginate and calcium chloride. Where can I buy those, i herd of ebay but is there a store in ottawa that i can purchase that. Please i need some help;

I though on doing something different and crazy. Scoop the pulp out of a lime and replace that with wasabi jello (just a pit of wasabi). put that on the edge of a shooter of ginger ale and put on the bottom some lime ou lemon caviar. so the idea is to eat the jello wasabi which will give the intence reaction then shoot the ginger ale, then crunch into the refreshing lim or lemon. What do you guys think.. is that to complex and crazy. And can you even do lemon caviar(because of the acides)

thx ..Maize

2011 Mar 7
My company,Xiamen Tianyuan Food company,manufactures foods addtives,such as,agar agar,pectin,carrageen,sodium alginate.We are the leading exporter in Xiamen China of the products mentioned above.If you are interested in our products maybe you can contact me!
My name:Eddie
TEL:+86 0592 5880181
CELL: + 86 13950137641
Email:eddieyangcn@gmail.com

2011 Mar 7
Goldas kitchen in Toronto
They ship in one to Two days
Www.goldaskitchen.com

2011 Mar 7
I just took a look at the Goldaskitchen and I can't find any S.A. Are you sure they carry it?

I've never dealt with them because I find them a little pricey.

www.molecule-r.com

2011 Mar 7
willpowder.net/

best site i have found for molecular gastronomy stuff....includes recipes which is very helpful!

2011 Mar 8
Willpowder has great price but they ship using USPS.

2011 Mar 8
I prefer getting items shipped via USPS. Here's why:

I'm not home during the day and can't have items delivered where I work, so I hate UPS because they always need a signature. Their depot isn't open on the weekends, so I almost always have to take a day off or make some special arrangements in order to get my items.

The hours that the post office is open are much better for me.

I'm going to check out the Happy Goat today and will ask about these little coffee makers. I don't know that I need another one, but you never know.

2011 Mar 8
USPS if lucky pay no duty or tax :)
most times I never pay for airmail stuff..and everything I buy is always declared from actual stores.

maybe twice in 2 years I had to pay tax and duty...for bigger parcels and once for a belt (but only once ever charged tax from Talbots store...even though i ordered 10 times so far).

or maybe you can find someone to send you a commercial sample?
I've gotten some before for flavorings and also perfume oils for my soap making..and some spices samples too.
But not sure how long those usually take as most were from the US.

2011 Mar 8
Alginate is inhibited by pH<4. Lime juice is pH ~2 and lemon juice is pH 2.4.

You can add Sodium Citrate to raise the pH, but I think this will kill the taste you are looking for.

As an idea to get started with readily available substances, you could try caviar-sized spherification with Agar, using the cold oil technique. Hopefully heating the juice to 80 deg C to melt the agar won't affect the taste you are looking for too much (don't heat all the juice to 80, just enough to dissolve the agar and add the rest, warmed, after)...just a suggestion. Agar is much more acid tolerant. The resulting caviar will have a uniform texture, not a gel-skin with liquid inside...

Let us know what works, and just as importantly, what does not!

Good luck.

2011 Mar 9
I was playing around the Willpowder site yesterday and as suspected their shipping quote to Canada is outrageous.

2011 Mar 9
i bought a kit at xmas from this group in montreal with no issues.

www.molecule-r.com/home.html

2011 Mar 9
here was the results