Factors that Affect the Gummies Amount of calcium in the alginate solution If the sodium alginate solution contains any calcium, gelation (cross- linking) can happen before you drop it into the calcium chloride Preventing/fixing this problem: o If you're dissolving the sodium alginate in a liquid other than water, make sure it doesn't contain calcium (e.g., milk) pH of the alginate solution If the pH of the sodium alginate solution is too low, the hydrogen concentration will be too high and alginate won't react with the calcium Preventing/fixing this problem: o Measure the pH of your sodium alginate solution (shouldn't be an issue if you're just dissolving the sodium alginate in water) o If the pH is too low, add some sodium citrate 7