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I'm using calcium carbonate ($\ce{CaCO3}$) in apple juice to reduce the acidity of the juice. Once the $\ce{CaCO3}$ reacts with the apple juice and raises the pH, the juice is left cloudy in color BUT has the desired pH of 3.4. I need a way to extract (separate) the $\ce{CaCO3}$ precipitate from the apple juice which leaves the resulting liquid (apple juice) drinkable still...

The pure juice has an initial pH of 2.9. I want to reduce the acidity and be left with pH of say 3.4. Perhaps by blending with another drink? I did a test using the pH meter, I started with water (pH 6.0) and slowly added apple juice, and the pH drops to 2.9 adding 1 part juice to say 10 parts of water. So blending another higher pH drink (tea/water/etc) would totally dilute the apple juice before the pH would reach 3.4. How can I raise the pH and still keep the apple juice pure or close to pure?

Apple juice out of the carton tests at 2.9 pH with digital pH meter. My tap water tests at 6.0 pH. Calcium carbonate - pill form from health food store (oyster shell derivative)

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    $\begingroup$ Nearly all sources that google gives me, say that apple juice has a pH of 3-4 ... exactly what you want. $\endgroup$
    – pH13 - Yet another Philipp
    Feb 2, 2016 at 0:29
  • $\begingroup$ Apple Juice out of the carton tests at 2.9 pH with Digital pH meter. My tap water tests at 6.0 pH. $\endgroup$
    – DK4
    Feb 2, 2016 at 0:38

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The stuff you're seeing is solid calcium carbonate that most likely did not dissolve, or some other insoluble calcium compound that formed by reaction of calcium with whatever is in the apple juice.

You might want to try using sodium carbonate instead of calcium carbonate. Sodium compounds are usually more soluble than calcium compounds, and it's a more common food additive than calcium carbonate.

That said, I wouldn't recommend adding chemicals to your food without knowing exactly what you're doing. Some seemingly safe chemicals may have hazardous impurities and do not qualify as food-grade. If you're doing this because of health problems then you should consult with a doctor on better ways of action than pouring carbonates in your drinks.

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I think you are doing it wrong. Do not add CaCO3 in excess. And keep in mind that ingesting too much Calcium may have a negative effect to your health.

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  • $\begingroup$ The CaCO3 is used in proper amounts to raise the pH (lower the acidity) to a resulting desired level (say 2.9 pH to 3.4 pH). Now I need to separate the juice from the dissolved/suspended CaCo3. can it be filtered, etc... I tried a coffee filter but does not filter fine enough I guess. Still cloudy... $\endgroup$
    – DK4
    Feb 2, 2016 at 0:07
  • $\begingroup$ Food grade diatomaceous earth? Celite is how we would do it in a chem lab, and that's diatomaceous earth. Not sure if food grade has the right particle size, though. $\endgroup$
    – SendersReagent
    Feb 2, 2016 at 0:59

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