Where Does Gelatin Come From | A Production Process

If you visit a supermarket and start looking at labels of different products you will find gelatin as a standard ingredient. It includes everyday food items from breakfast cereals and yogurts to marshmallows and jellos, cheesecakes, and many more. You can also use it in the preservation of fruit and meat, and to make powdered milk, meringue, marshmallow, and fondant. Past the food world, it is a valuable material in food processing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and photography, and paper production.

Well, it is very important to understand the sources and the ingredients that go into its making. About this widely found ingredient do we know, Where does gelatin come from? Below we will be talking about gelatin, what are sources to make it, its benefits, and its drawbacks.  

What Is Gelatin?

Gelatin is a by-product of the meat industry and a source of natural protein. Gelatin is made from partial hydrolysis of collagen. This collagen is extracted by processing animal leftover body parts like bones, cartilage, connective tissues, and skin of animals such as domesticated cattle, chicken, pigs, and fish. Collagen is a fibrous protein. Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient that is crumbly when dry and sticky when moist.

It carries18 amino acids, some of which are a necessary part of a healthy diet. The body can absorb Amino Acids. Everyone considerss it helpful in increasing the production of collagen in the body and helps in arthritis and other joint conditions.

Gelatin is a versatile ingredient because of its different gelling and thickening properties, it is commonly used as an ingredient by food manufacturers and professional chefs. The main reason behind gelatin being a popular ingredient of the food industry used as a flavor booster. It gives a great outburst to flavors and makes it melt deliciously in the mouth.

It is also consumed by many people all around the world regularly. Sometimes we consume gelatin without even realizing it. If you eat meat then for sure gelatin is an essential part of your diet. Whenever we cook meat with bones or skin in our kitchen, we process all the collagen from it into gelatin.

Whenever we are roasting or baking meat like chicken, lamb, or turkey, we notice it releases lots of juices. These juices are packed with lovely flavors and are often used in making delicious sauces. This jelly-like substance is gelatin. This is naturally occurring gelatin. Taste it and you would possibly get a stunning burst of savory flavor. On an industrial level, raw collagen is heated to be broken down and it turns into liquid gelatin which becomes jelly-like when cooled.

Where Does Gelatin Come From?

On an industrial scale, gelatin is made from pork skins, pork, cow skin and cattle bones, and other by-products of the meat industry. Gelatin production helps in environmental sustainability as these products otherwise are of no use and add wastage to the environment. Animal bones, skins, and tissues are acquired from slaughterhouses. Gelatin processing plants are mostly located nearby so that these animal by-products can be quickly processed.

Acids such as caustic lime or sodium carbonate which are used to extract minerals and bacteria from them are manufactured in the plant or purchased from vendors. Other added flavorings such as sweeteners and coloring are also purchased from outside. 

The Production Process Is Extremely Safe Because:

• All raw materials are particularly selected from their suppliers. The production method of gelatin undergoes stern testing and control to guarantee maximum quality, safety, and traceability
• All raw materials come from animals that are fit for human consumption
• The production environment is hygienic, involves sterilization stages, and has to comply with all national and international standardization
• The gelatin does not undergo any chemical modification and comes from a natural source, gelatin is a common foodstuff and not an additive and is therefore it has a clean-label.

Production Process

Below the production process is explained in 5 simple steps:

1. Pre-treatment of raw materials involves breaking them into small pieces and processing them in acid solutions and rinsing thoroughly to get ready for the next step.
2. Extraction of gelatin from raw material by heating it and removing all the fats and bones from it. Leaving behind a gelatin-rich solution ready for the next step.
3. Purification is conducted using standard techniques to remove all traces of fats and fibers. A final purified product is obtained.
4. Thickening of this purified solution is done until a viscous and concentrated substance is obtained. All the process is done under strict hygienic conditions.
5. The pure concentrated substance is cooled and dried bringing it into a solid-state which after drying is ground into a fine powder of thin sheets. 

The use of gelatin from particular animal sources like pigs is not Halal by religious rules in different parts of the world. Islamic halal gelatin requires sources other than pigs, such as cattle or fish (that they are legal to consume). Vegetarians do not consume foods containing gelatin made from animals, they require gelatin alternatives from sources other than animals.

HALAL GELATIN PVT. LTD. produces Halal Gelatin under the brand name of “HALAL GELATIN®”. You can use it in the food, pharmaceutical, and beauty care industry. HALAL GELATIN PVT. LTD. is producing Halal Gelatin ranges from 160-300 bloom alongside viscosity ranges from 35-45 which is another key element of Halal Gelatin.