And a video to show the actual process:
The process used to create the spherical yolk and egg white is actually a technique commonly used in molecular gastronomy to make little spheres which are liquid in the centre, and have a thin jelly layer outside. I have tried this item of molecular gastronomy, and saw the chefs making the spheres with mango juice. What the chefs do is to dissolve some sodium alginate (or what is known as sodium alga acid in the flowchart given above) in fruit juice, then drip drops of the mixture into a solution of calcium ions. The calcium ions will react with the alginate to form a thin membrane, enveloping the fruit juice in it and forming a small ball. This is the exact reaction the counterfeiter in the video carried out when he was swirling the orange sphere around in the colourless liquid in the mould. While chemicals such as sodium alginate and calcium chloride are not harmful to the human body, I can't say the same about some of the rest of the chemicals the counterfeiters use to make the eggs.
A friend passed this article around and I immediately thought of molecular gastronomy. A quick google search brought me here....
ReplyDeleteI've not tried molecular gastronomy and I have developed the view that at its best, it's art for those who are bored and have (or think they have) a great deal of disposable income. At it's worst, you end up with stuff like counterfeit eggs.
The article I read states that the counterfeits taste better than real eggs. Go figure. I personally prefer to keep molecular gastronomy, artful or fake food off of my menu.