Gelatin

Gelatin is...

Wikipedia--is a translucent, colorless, brittle (when dry), nearly tasteless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. It is found in some "gummy" candies as well as other products such as marshmallows, gelatin dessert, and some low-fat yogurt. Some dietary or religious customs forbid the use of gelatin from certain animal sources, and medical issues may limit or prevent its consumption by certain people. It is extracted from the boiled bones, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, pigs, and horses. Gelatin melts to a liquid when heated and solidifies when cooled again.

Uses--a gelling agent in cooking, in a wide range of food and non-food products: Common examples are gelatin desserts, trifles, aspic, marshmallows, and confectioneries (such as Peeps, gummy bears and jelly babies). Gelatin may be used...in foods such as jams, yoghurt, cream cheese, and margarine; it is used, as well, in fat-reduced foods to simulate the mouthfeel of fat and to create volume without adding calories.


Gelatin is used for the clarification of juices, such as apple juice, and of vinegar. Isinglass, from the swim bladders of fish, is still used as a fining agent for wine and beer. Beside hartshorn jelly, from deer antlers (hence the name "hartshorn"), isinglass was one of the oldest sources of gelatin. Gelatine was used for hardening paper in Colonial times.

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