Making sodium caseinate

Casein Printing from the Kitchen Sink      Author Dr.Selby Markham

Sodium Caseinate Powder

The simplest way to prepare a caseinate is to use commercial sodium caseinate powder. It is used in the food industry and is available from couple of Australian sources in small quantities.

Sodium caseinate does not dissolve readily.  

Making a 10% solution – eg 2gms to 20mls water:

  1. Using a wide mouthed container, you have to sprinkle the caseinate powder onto the surface.
  2. Leave it for about 10 minutes. 
  3. Warm the water to about 400C – in a double boiler or water bath – and keep it at that temperature.
  4. As the powder begins to be absorbed, turn over the sticky mass that has formed.
  5. After about 30 minutes the powder will have been dissolved.
  6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Christina Anderson recommends using sodium benzoate as a preservative for ammonium caseinate made up from powder but I am not clear on the extra time it gives you. My sodium caseinate mix tends to start to smell a bit after about 36 hours in solution.

Making Sodium Caseinate

Sodium caseinate is easily (and safely) manufactured with sodium bicarbonate. The industrial method apparently uses sodium hydroxide which is highly caustic. It is not nice to use. Sodium bicarbonate is benign.

Recipe

10 gm of crumbly home made casein

10 ml water

OR 5 gm of dried casein re-hydrated with 20 ml water

2 gm of sodium bicarbonate (normal supermarket product)

20 ml hot water

Method

Add 20ml water at 400C to the 5gm of casein. Leave it stand until most of the water has been absorbed – maintain the temperature at 400C.

When the casein is ready, dissolve the sodium bicarbonate in 20 ml of warm water.

Pour the sodium bicarbonate mixture into the casein and mix. Place the container in a bath of hot water – about 600C. Leave stand until the sodium bicarbonate has dissolved all of the casein – you can give it a stir. You have to keep the temperature up around 600C . The time taken to dissolve the casein depends on maintaining the temperature at about 600C.

Use

Sodium caseinate should have the right consistency to use without dilution.

The sodium caseinate has a short shelf life, so you have to mix the coating medium as you need it – but you can, obviously, mix a working quantity for a couple of days work.

I use 10% Potassium Dichromate 1:1 with the medium for coating.

Alternatives

There is no reason why you could not use casein powder or cottage cheese to make sodium caseinate.