Study on the Formation of Tomato Juice Caviar Spheres (Lycopersicum Esculentum Mill) Using Sodium Alginate (Nac₆H₉O₇) and Calcium Lactate (C₆H₁₀Cao₆) Through Spherification Technique

The objective of this study was to produce caviar spheres from tomato juice using sodium alginate and calcium lactate. The research method was conducted in two stages: preliminary research and main research. The preliminary study involved analyzing the vitamin C and β-carotene content in the raw materials. The experimental design used was a factorial pattern (3x3) in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. The treatments consisted of two factors: sodium alginate concentration (N) with 3 levels 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1% and calcium lactate concentration (K) with 3 levels 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1% resulting in 27 experimental units. The response variables analyzed included chemical responses (vitamin C content, β-carotene content, pH) and organoleptic responses (color, shape, sour taste, texture, and aftertaste). The preliminary results showed that the tomato juice contained 27.46 mg/100g of vitamin C and 47 ppm of β-carotene. The main study results revealed that sodium alginate concentration significantly affected β-carotene content, color, shape, and texture, but did not significantly affect vitamin C content, sour taste, and aftertaste. Calcium lactate concentration significantly affected β-carotene content, shape, and texture, but not vitamin C content, color, sour taste, or aftertaste. The interaction between sodium alginate and calcium lactate concentrations significantly affected shape and texture, but not β-carotene content, vitamin C content, color, sour taste, or aftertaste. The best sample was obtained from treatment n1k1 (0.6% sodium alginate and 0.6% calcium lactate) with average scores: color 4.10, shape 2.41, sour taste 3.21, texture 3.70, aftertaste 2.18, vitamin C 14.75 mg/100g, and β-carotene 18.82 ppm.