What is gelatin made from

The use of gelatin in the food industry has been an established practice for a long time, but not everyone knows what gelatin is made from. For this reason, discussions about its benefits and harms to the human body often arise.

There is food gelatin and technical gelatin.

Food gelatin is used not only in cooking but also in pharmacology and cosmetology as a thickener.

Technical gelatin is used in the production of paints, photo and film, photographic paper, and in the paper industry for high-grade paper as an adhesive.

What is gelatin, what is it made of

Gelatin is a partially hydrolyzed collagen protein in the form of a translucent substance, often with a yellowish tint. It swells under the action of moisture, forming a gelatinous viscous mass. Food gelatin is sold in the form of small granules, powder, or sheets.

Along with collagen, important amino acids necessary for the normal functioning of cartilages and connective tissues are present in the composition of gelatin.

A quality product has a balanced composition. In 100 grams of the substance, there are:

• protein – 87.2 g;
• carbohydrates – 0.7 g;
• fats – 0.4 g;
• phosphorus – 300 mg;
• starch – 0.7 g;
• phosphorus – 300 mg;
• potassium – 1.2 mg;
• magnesium – 80 mg;
• calcium – 700 mg;
• ash – 1.7 g;
• iron – 2000μg;
• sodium – 11 mg.

Production of gelatin

Gelatin is made by partial hydrolysis of collagen from cartilages, tendons, bones, skin, and even hooves, as well as fish bones, gills, and scales.

Some manufacturers process only bones and cartilages, while others use skins and tendons. Fish raw material mainly uses scales.

Fish gelatin is less commonly found on sale, as its production is significantly more complex than that of meat. It dissolves more slowly in water, so it needs to be soaked longer. But for poured from pike perch this gelatin is ideal.

How gelatin is made

The raw material undergoes preliminary veterinary and sanitary control, is sorted by type, and is crushed. Then it undergoes preliminary preparation. This is done to clean the collagen from 'ballast' proteins that worsen the product's quality. There are two methods of preliminary preparation – alkaline and acid processing.

1. Group A includes gelatin obtained after acid treatment. The skins of pigs are subjected to this treatment.
2. Gelatin of group B is obtained after the alkaline treatment of raw materials from cattle.

In both cases, the gelling properties are the same, but gelatin of group A has lower viscosity.

The prepared raw material is subjected to prolonged boiling in cooking furnaces, where extraction takes place. At this time, collagen is converted into gelatin.

The resulting gelatin solution is purified from various impurities, filtered from water, sterilized at a temperature of 130 – 140 degrees, and dried with filtered dry air.

Which gelatin is better

It cannot be said for sure which gelatin is better – powdered or sheet. In production, most chefs prefer to use powdered gelatin, as it can be dissolved in the gelatin mass in advance, left in the refrigerator, and used as needed. It is dissolved in water at room temperature based on 5 – 6 grams of water per 1 gram of gelatin. The proportions must be strictly followed, otherwise the mass will not achieve the correct consistency.

Sheet gelatin absorbs only the necessary amount of moisture, and it must be soaked in cold water. It can simply be placed in a container with water, and before use, excess liquid can be squeezed out.

Which is better to use – sheet or powdered gelatin, there is little difference. They are interchangeable. Attention should be paid to its gelling ability, otherwise known as the strength of gelatin. It is measured by the Bloom system, and different varieties of gelatin generally have 50 – 300 Bloom. The most common among them are 180 and 200 bloom. Usually, these parameters are implied in recipes, and the strength of the gel is not specified.

The higher the Bloom degree, the faster the gelatin sets and the stronger the gel.

In short about the important

1. Pour the dissolved gelatin into the warm component so that it has time to distribute, does not set too early, and does not turn into a lump.
2. Sheet gelatin is carefully placed into cold water one sheet at a time, so that they do not stick together.
3. Quality gelatin, in principle, can withstand boiling, but if you are not sure of its quality, it is better not to take risks and not heat the liquid with already added gelatin above 80 degrees.