what is Gelatine

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Gelatine

What is Gelatine?

Gelatine is a pure form of protein and It is derived from collagen found in cattle hides, bones and pigskin. Gelatine is a tasteless, odorless, almost colourless mixture of proteins that dissolves in hot water, but becomes a jelly when cooled, holding the water in a rubbery suspension.

It is a fact that most commercially produced gelatine nowadays is derived from pigskin. Close to 50% of gelatine available in the world now is derived from pigskin and 80% of edible gelatine that comes from Europe is produced from pigskin. (http://www.Gelatin.org/"www.Gelatin.org)

Overview
Gelatine’s unique characteristics give it wide application in the food industry where its functional properties are used to gel, thicken, stabilise, emulsify, bind, film and aerate. Being a protein, it is also a very useful nutritive component.

Gelatine is a natural organic product. The manufacture of gelatine-like substances dates back to the time of the Egyptians. For example, trout in gelatine or fruit in gelatine appeared on the menus of banquets. Nowadays gelatine is extensively used in the food industry, in households and in other branches of industry.

Gelatine is used in an ever-growing variety of applications, in almost every segment of the food industry. The gelatine industry has been intensifying its technological development since the 1950's. It has now achieved an extremely high standard in hygienic production and quality of its products through research and refinement over the past fifty years.

Gelatine is a unique and valuable protein. However, it does not occur in nature as Gelatine. It begins as collagen.

What is Collagen?

Collagen occurs extensively in nature. It is the most common fibrous protein found in the organic and physical structure of the vertebrates; that is, birds, reptiles, fish and mammals, including humans.

Collagen is the basic structure of all the skin, tendon, bone, membrane and connective tissue in our bodies and in the bodies of those creatures. Collagen is thus the structural protein of the animal kingdom and that of humans. It is to humankind and to animals to what cellulose is to plants.

There are no plant sources of collagen. As gelatine is derived from collagen, it follows that there are no plant source of gelatine either. Thus, there is no chemical relationship between gelatine and other materials often referred to as 'vegetable gelatines', such as seaweed extracts or gums like carrageen or guar.

The Importance of Gelatine

Collagen is insoluble, but the Gelatine derived from it is freely soluble in hot water.

Gelatine is the only natural protein of commercial importance, capable of producing clear thermo-reversible gels when combined with water. This property is gelatine's most important commercial feature. In its gel form, gelatine is also unique in that it is able to melt at body temperature. However, this unique gelling feature is only one of gelatine's many qualities, which allow it to be used in a variety of ways — not only food, but other applications as well.

In it everyday food and non-food applications, there is often no satisfactory alternative or substitute for gelatine. The end product would not be available to the consumer without its gelatine content. Consumers may not even be aware of the presence of gelatine when taking a photograph, enjoying a wine gum, spreading low fat margarine, taking medication in capsule or tablet form, shampooing their hair, applying moisturisers or sun screen, and sometimes even writing a receipt!

Being almost flavourless and odourless, gelatine can be used to mask tastes or odours in areas such as medicinal applications. In spray drying and micro-encapsulation, gelatine can be used as a carrier of flavours or fragrances, to be released when desired.

Gelatine owes its wide use in the food industry to the fact that it is itself a food. It is a protein, easily digested, and therefore often used in 'light' foods, such as margarines, calorie reduced milk, meat products and dietary aids

Gelatine Applications

Pharmaceutical Industries

a. Empty Hard Capsules

b. Softgels

c. Blood Plasma

e. Tablets and etc.,

Food Industries

Confectionery Products

Dairy Products

Gelatine Desserts

Meat Products

Bakery Products

Industrial Gelatine

a. Photographic Industries

b. Matches Industry

c. Glue/ Adhesive Industries

d. Paper Industries

e. Bank Notes

Islamic Law Regarding the Consumption of Gelatine

Gelatine is used liberally in a variety of products. Hence, it can be viewed as a silent threat to certain consumers. Due to religious obstacles and concerns, some consumers may not be able to consume products containing gelatine because it is HARAM.

If the source of gelatine is derived from a HALAL source then there is permissibility in its usage, whilst if the source is HARAM or Mashqûk [doubtful] then it will be treated as HARAM.

HARAM gelatine is gelatine derived from pigs or animals not slaughtered according to Islamic law. That is why it is important to be able to identify the producers of HALAL gelatine and products.

Muslims should avoid choosing HARAM and doubtful ingredients. If a comparable medication is available in tablet or liquid form it would be advisable to ask for them instead of taking capsules.

In recent times, fish gelatine has been considered as a viable source to solve this problem. Nevertheless, even HALAL gelatine can become contaminated, if it is manufactured in the same facilities as HARAM gelatine. 

In the area of food we have such a vast selection of products whereby foregoing a certain brand containing gelatine should pose no problem.

Safety Concerns

Due to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow disease", and its link to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, there has been much concern about using gelatine derived from possibly infected animal parts. One study released in 2004, however, demonstrated that the gelatine production process destroys most of the BSE prions that may be present in the raw material.