by Lethenteron and DerMeister

If you order your blood from a butcher, there’s a very good chance that your blood has already been treated with anticoagulants, or that is has been defibrinated. Don’t hesitate to ask your provider for details. However, If you come and collect it yourself, (at a farm, at the slaughterhouse, or from your own livestock etc.), you may need to treat the blood yourself, either by vigorous stirring (traditional method) to defibrinate the blood or via the addition of anticoagulants.

Contrary to tradition, vinegar and salt are not very good options to preserve blood, and definitely not for raw consumption. It significantly alters the taste, and it is the stirring that is usually performed alongside that helps remove the fibrin and leaves the blood fluid. Keep in mind that the consumption of raw blood involves very significant risks and it’s your responsibility if you decide to engage in it. Check out this post for some information about blood pathogens and safety guidelines.

Putting defibrination and salt/vinegar aside, anticoagulants are generally a much better option, but you might not have any available or you might not know how to use them: that’s where this post comes in.

We’ll be talking about two reasonably accessible and reliable options here: trisodium citrate and ACD.

Trisodium Citrate:

Trisodium citrate has the chemical formula of Na3C6H5O7. It is sometimes referred to simply as “sodium citrate”, though sodium citrate can refer to any of the three sodium salts of citric acid. It possesses a saline, mildly tart flavor. It is mildly basic and can be used along with citric acid to make biologically compatible buffers.[n1]

Sodium citrate is chiefly used as a food additive, usually for flavouring, to add tartness to various foods, among which various club soda, sausages, wine or as a preservative. It appears as E331 on the label. It is also used to alter the texture of certain foods, like ice cream, yogurt, jams and as an emulsifier.Read More »