Diagnosis · Pre-gelation — free calcium
Free calcium is triggering the gel in the tank
Low acyl gellan responds to free divalent cations almost immediately on cooling. If the calcium is available while the batch is still being held, the network starts forming in the tank.
What to do
- Add a sequestrant: sodium citrate 0.05–0.15%, or sodium hexametaphosphate, to hold the calcium until the temperature drops.
- Add the gellan last, after the salts, so it never meets a high local calcium concentration.
- Dry blend the gellan with the sequestrant itself for a slower, more uniform release.
- If the recipe cannot take a citrate, high acyl gellan is far less ion sensitive — at the cost of a softer gel.
The reading behind this
How this conclusion was reached
What is actually going wrong?
It sets before I can fill it
Is the batch setting inside the tank, or on the way down a long fill line?
In the tank, before filling starts
Is the formula high in calcium or magnesium?
Yes, there is a clear divalent source
Check this against your own system
This describes the usual cause. What actually fixes it depends on your water hardness, total solids and fill temperature — send those three numbers and we will come back with a starting point, or with a bench sample of the grade this points to.
Ask about this diagnosisOther conclusions
Everything else the tree can land on
- Gel too soft — no calcium present
- Gel too soft — water hardness unknown
- Gel too soft — high acyl grade
- Gel too soft — low pH hydrolysis
- Gel too soft — remaining causes
- Lumps — powder not dry blended
- Lumps — hydration window missed
- Lumps — process details to check
- Pre-gelation — in the line
- Pre-gelation — cold tank
- Syneresis — water weeping
- Gel cloudy or dull
- Gel melts when warm
- Particles settle
- Slimy mouthfeel or off flavour
Other tools
Keep going
Three more decision aids for the same problem set.