Gelatin
It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, beverages, medications, drug or vitamin capsules, photographic films, papers, and cosmetics.
Gelatin is a collection of peptides and proteins produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals such as domesticated cattle, chicken, pigs, and fish.
[11] In 2011, the European Food Safety Authority Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies concluded that "a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of collagen hydrolysate and maintenance of joints".
In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with support from the TSE (transmissible spongiform encephalopathy) Advisory Committee, began monitoring the potential risk of transmitting animal diseases, especially bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease.
[16] An FDA study from that year stated: "... steps such as heat, alkaline treatment, and filtration could be effective in reducing the level of contaminating TSE agents; however, scientific evidence is insufficient at this time to demonstrate that these treatments would effectively remove the BSE infectious agent if present in the source material.
[18] The final rule clarified that "gelatin is not considered a prohibited cattle material if it is manufactured using the customary industry processes specified.
"[19] The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) of the European Union in 2003 stated that the risk associated with bovine bone gelatin is very low or zero.
[5] The raw materials are prepared by different curing, acid, and alkali processes that are employed to extract the dried collagen hydrolysate.
After preparation of the raw material, i.e., removing some of the impurities such as fat and salts, partially purified collagen is converted into gelatin through hydrolysis.
Acid treatment is especially suitable for less fully cross-linked materials such as pig skin collagen and normally requires 10 to 48 hours.
Alkali treatment is suitable for more complex collagen such as that found in bovine hides and requires more time, normally several weeks.
[29] By the late 17th century, the French inventor Denis Papin had discovered another method of gelatin extraction via boiling of bones.
The French government viewed gelatin as a potential source of cheap, accessible protein for the poor, particularly in Paris.
[31] Food applications in France and the United States during the 19th century appear to have established the versatility of gelatin, including the origin of its popularity in the US as Jell-O.
[33] Probably best known as a gelling agent in cooking, different types and grades of gelatin are used in a wide range of food and nonfood products.
In cosmetics, hydrolyzed collagen may be found in topical creams, acting as a product texture conditioner, and moisturizer.
Collagen implants or dermal fillers are also used to address the appearance of wrinkles, contour deficiencies, and acne scars, among others.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its use, and identifies cow (bovine) and human cells as the sources of these fillers.
[45] On the other hand, some Islamic jurists have argued that the chemical treatment "purifies" the gelatin enough to always be halal, an argument most common in the field of medicine.
[46] According to The Jewish Dietary Laws, the book of kosher guidelines published by the Rabbinical Assembly, the organization of Conservative Jewish rabbis, all gelatin is kosher and pareve because the chemical transformation undergone in the manufacturing process renders it a different physical and chemical substance.
