Popping Bubble Tea

Popping bobas are similar to the tapioca bobas in the bubble or boba tea. Popping bobas, which are slippery, little fruit flavored balls, have thin skin and are filled with fruit juice that pops in your mouth when they are bitten or squeezed. They are made from seaweed extract with fruit juice flavorings such as mango, lychee, strawberry, passion fruit, orange, green apple, cantaloupe, kiwi, pomegranate, cherry, and other seasonal fruits. The main ingredients of the popping bobas include water, fruit juice, sugar, calcium lactate, malic acid, artificial coloring, fruit flavorings, and seaweed extracts which form the outer wall or skin. Popping bobas are prepared using the trendy way of cooking called Molecular Gastronomy, an area of food science that investigates the chemical and physical transformation of ingredients in cooking. The flavored juices that contain no calcium are mixed with a small amount of sodium alginate which will then be dropped into a container filled with cold calcium chloride solution. Each drop of the alginated liquid forms into a small ball in the calcium solution, causing the formation of a thin, flexible skin. The resulting popping bobas are removed from the calcium bath and rinsed with water to remove any after taste.