What is Gelatin?

Gelatin is produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the skin, bones and connective tissues of animals such as cows, pigs and fish. It is a tasteless colloid and a natural food material.

How is gelatin made?

Gelatin manufacturing process mainly includes the following steps:

Pretreatment: Wash, remove impurities, cut, alkalize and other raw materials such as animal skins, bones, tendons, horns, etc. to make them soft, swollen and easy to hydrolyze.

Hydrolysis: Put the pretreated raw materials into water and heat them to a certain temperature for several hours or days to hydrolyze them into collagen. During the hydrolysis process, it is necessary to continuously stir, filter, remove oil and gas to ensure the purity and quality of collagen.

Concentration: Concentrate the hydrolyzed collagen solution to a certain concentration and viscosity for subsequent molding and drying.

Molding: Pour the concentrated collagen solution into the mold, cool and solidify it to form gelatin blocks or sheets of different shapes and sizes.

Drying: Put the molded gelatin blocks or sheets into the drying room for drying to reduce the moisture to a certain level for easy storage and transportation.

Packaging: The dried gelatin blocks or sheets are graded, weighed and packaged, and marked with production date, shelf life, usage and other information, and finally become the gelatin products we see on the market.

What is gelatin used for?

Edible gelatin can be added to canned food, candy, ice cream, ham, jelly, medical soft and hard capsules, surgical dressings, hemostatic sponges, soda suspensions, test agents, starch, and other food industries.

Gelatin is widely used in the medical field due to its biodegradability, good biocompatibility and film-forming properties. The most important ones are hard capsules, soft capsules, plasma substitutes and coatings.

Industrial gelatin is mainly used for plywood, gauze, sandstone, printing, adhesives, etc.

Is gelatin vegetarian?

No. Gelatin isn’t vegan or even vegetarian, as it’s extracted from the bodies of animals.

Is gelatin halal or Haram?

Gelatin itself is not necessarily halal. However, halal gelatin is halal, it is made from bone particles, in accordance with Islamic law, and pigs and their products are not allowed to be used as raw materials, nor are animals that died of natural causes or diseases and their raw materials. Halal gelatin is mainly used to produce soft candies such as toffee, egg whites, marshmallows, fruit jelly, and gummy candies.

Is Gelatin Good for you?

Stimulates metabolism: The main component of gelatin is collagen. Edible gelatin contains 18 kinds of amino acids, the most important of which are glycine and arginine, which can promote muscle growth and stimulate metabolism, thereby helping to burn fat.

Helps Retain Hydration: Our bodies need plenty of water, otherwise we may suffer from serious health problems due to dehydration. For those who don’t like to drink water, consuming some appropriate and sugar-free edible gelatin can help the body retain more water.

Contorl Weight: Gelatin can also be used as a low-calorie food to help control weight.