- Gelatin - pork and more
- Gelatin - properties and application
- Gelatin in the food industry
- Gelatin - for hair and more
- Gelatin - how is gelatin made?
Gelatin is an animal protein produced from collagen. After dissolving in water, it forms a viscous solution, turning into jelly after cooling. Gelatin has many properties, which is why it has been widely used, not only in the food industry, but also in cosmetics, where it is used, among others. as a hair mask. Check what other uses of gelatin are and how to make it.
Gelatinis an animal protein obtained from collagen, a polypeptide of high molecular weight, a hydrocolloid, which is a substance very soluble in water and forming a three-dimensional network in the solution. On the other hand, collagen itself is the main protein of the connective tissue that builds tendons, skin, and bones. Collagen accounts for about 30% of all proteins in animal organisms.
The production process of gelatin is long and complicated, and its goal is to transform collagen into a water-soluble substance that has the ability to form gels. Gelatin contains the same amino acid sequence as collagen. It is composed mainly of glycine, proline and hydroxyproline.
Gelatin - pork and more
There are two main types of gelatin - type A, obtained by the acid method, and type B, obtained by the alkaline method. They differ in their properties and application possibilities. The most important feature of gelatin is the ability to form reversible gels. The phenomenon occurs when the concentration of the solution exceeds 0.5%.
The gelling process is an attempt to return single polypeptide chains of gelatin to the form of native collagen. Gelatin passes from the form of a gel into solution at the temperature of 30-40 degrees C, which determines its numerous food applications. Other parameters are hardness, viscosity, melting point, gelation temperature and gel time.
The properties of gelatinedepend on its molecular weight and amino acid structure, which in turn is related to the type of raw material and the method used to obtain gelatine. The higher the content of the amino acids proline and hydroxyproline in gelatin, the stronger the gelling ability. The main types of gelatine available on the market are:
- edible gelatin
- fast dissolving gelatin
- gelatin hydrolyzate
Edible gelatin, like the others, ismade of pig and bovine skins and ossein (the intercellular substance of the bone tissue that provides bones with elasticity and strength). It dissolves in water only when warm, giving a gelling effect. It is sold in the form of granules, sheets or powder.
Quickly dissolving gelatin swells in cold water. It only comes as a powder. Gelatin hydrolyzate dissolves in cold water, but does not gel. Also comes in powder form.
Gelatin - properties and application
Gelatin is used as:
- stabilizer
- thickener
- emulsifier
- texturizing agent
- wetting agent
- surfactant
- encapsulating agent
It is used not only in the food industry, but also in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries and in various technical applications. The pharmaceutical industry uses gelatin primarily to make soft and hard capsules and to coat tablets, which makes them easier to swallow and improves the taste.
Gelatin is a very important additive in the production of food, medicines, some cosmetics and in photography.
It can be found as an additive in dragees, liquid medicines and granules. Coating tablets and encapsulating also give the drug a longer shelf life, and it oxidizes more slowly. Gelatin is especially popular for encapsulating fat-soluble vitamins - Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin E.
It is used in the production of vaccines. It is a binder in tablets. In the production of cosmetics, gelatin is usually a thickener and a carrier of active ingredients.
It also protects the skin against the potentially irritating effects of some cosmetic ingredients. Gelatin can be used in hair shampoos, hair conditioners, washing gels, liquid soaps, antiperspirants, moisturizing lotions, creams with UV filter, hair styling mousses or nail polish removers. Gelatin in cosmetic products is safe. It does not adversely affect the skin and rarely causes allergies.
Gelatin is used in the production of photographic emulsions. It is used in solutions for developing photos, in which it allows obtaining prints of better quality. Technical gelatin has the ability to bind silver halides on film and paper. Gelatin is also used to produce printing dyes, ink, paper for printing banknotes, silk and matches.
Gelatin in the food industry
Gelatin as a hydrocolloid foundvery widely used in the food industry. It is a food additive marked with the symbol E 441, considered to be completely safe for he alth. The four main product groups where gelatin is used are:
- confectionery - shapes the texture, stabilizes the foam
- jelly-like desserts - improves creaminess, reduces fat, improves mouthfeel
- dairy products - stabilizes and provides texture
- meat products - binds water in processed meat
Gelatin improves the process of forming confectionery. It also helps to maintain the proper structure when freezing and defrosting confectionery products. Bread made of deep-frozen dough is very common these days.
Gelatin binds pieces of meat or fish in meat and delicatessen products. It enables greater binding of water and improves the color stability of sausages and other meat products. It is necessary for the production of dry jellies with meat and vegetables, and sweet jellies. Gelatine is more and more often used as a coating in cold cuts and non-cured sausages.
The product is immersed in a hot gelatin solution, and the resulting casing prevents the cured meat from drying out and oxidizing. The gelatin coating can also be a carrier of spices and herbs on the surface of the product, which improves its appearance.
Applications of gelatin in the food industry:
| Function in food | Examples of applications in food products |
| Forming gels | Jellies, confectionery, meats, pates |
| Foam | Sweet marshmallows, mousses, whipped cream |
| Protective Colloidal Agent | Confectionery, icing, ice cream, frozen desserts, sweets |
| Binding agent | Meat roulades, canned meat, confectionery, cheese, dairy products |
| clarifier | Beer, wine, fruit juices, vinegar |
| Edible coating | Sausages |
| Thickener | Ready-made soups, sauces, puddings, jellies, syrups, dairy products |
| Microencapsulation | Increasing the durability of color, fragrance, stabilization of oils and vitamins |
| Stabilizer | Spreads, yoghurts, cream, chocolate milk, icings, fillings, frozen desserts |
| Emulsifier | Ready-made soups, sauces, meat pastes, whipped cream, confectionery, dairy products |
| Adhesive | Combining layered sweets, baked goods, tying cake icing,marinated meats |
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Gelatin - for hair and more
Source: x-news.pl/Dzień Dobry TVN
Gelatin - how is gelatin made?
The raw materials for the industrial production of gelatine are by-products of slaughter animals (pigs and cattle) such as skins and bones. It can also be made from the bones and skins of fish and even insects.
There are two methods of obtaining gelatin - acidic (type A) and basic (type B). The selection of the method depends on the age and type of collagen-containing tissue, and thus the degree of collagen cross-linking. The alkaline method is mainly used in the treatment of old cattle skins and ossein.
Raw materials are treated with soda lye with a pH of 12.5 for a period of 14 to 60 days. During this time, maceration takes place, i.e. the process of loosening the cross-linked collagen. The next stages of gelatin production are extraction, filtration, fat centrifugation, demineralization of the gelatin solution, concentration of the solution, sterilization, drying, grinding and standardization.
The acid method is used in the treatment of hides from young pigs in which collagen is not strongly cross-linked, as well as osseins. The skins are treated for 1 day with sulfuric acid at pH=1-2, then the acid is neutralized and the s alts are washed away. The next steps are similar to the alkaline method.
The transformation of collagen into gelatin is based on the change of the protein structure from a helix to a ball. Collagen's tertiary, secondary and partially primary structure is destroyed.
Industrial grades of gelatin are a mixture of different polypeptide chains - single (α-gelatin), double (β-gelatin) and triple (γ-gelatin).
About 220,000 tons of gelatin are produced annually in the world, of which about 100,000 are produced in Europe. 52% of gelatine comes from pig skins, 21% from bovine bones and 27% from bovine skins.
Sources: 1. Mariod A.A. et al., Review: Gelatin, source, extraction and industrial applications, Acta Sci. Pol., Technol. Aliment., 2013, 12 (2), 135-1472. Kowalski Z. et al., Obtaining low-temperature strongly gelling protein (gelatin) by chemical methods, Chemik, 2011, 65, 10, 1085-10923. Selection of W. et al., Structure and properties of collagen and gelatin, Polimery, 2000, 45 (1), 10-214. European Commissin, Scientific Report and Opinion on The Safety of Gelatine,2000, https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/food/files/safety/docs/sci-com_ssc_out34_en.pdf5. Sionkowska A., Biopolimery, https://repozytorium.umk.pl/bitstream/handle/item/3016/Biopolimery-ISDMP-END%201.pdf?sequence=16. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/702554/GELATIN/
About the author
Aleksandra Żyłowska-Mharrab, dietician Food technologist, dietitian, educator. A graduate of Biotechnology at the Gdańsk University of Technology and Nutritional Services at the Maritime University. A supporter of simple, he althy cuisine and conscious choices in everyday nutrition. My main interests include building permanent changes in eating habits and individually composing a diet according to the body's needs. Because the same thing is not he althy for everyone! I believe that nutritional education is very important, both for children and adults. I focus my activities on spreading knowledge about nutrition, analyze new research results, and make my own conclusions. I adhere to the principle that a diet is a lifestyle, not strict adherence to meals on a sheet of paper. There is always room for delicious pleasures in he althy and conscious eating.
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