The History, Peculiarities and Applications of Gelatin

The History, Peculiarities and Applications of Gelatin

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Abstract

The history and cultural aspects of gelatin are discussed in regards to its origin and evolution to the present day.  The history of how gelatin was discovered, how it has been modified over the generations will be discussed in detail in this research. An in-depth study on the uses of gelatin will be a key concern of this research. The cultural uses of gelatin, how it is made, which sources it is gotten from and how it is preserved by different cultures. The particular peculiarities of gelatin will also be discussed to show the distinctive qualities that make it to be part of the everyday use of gastronomists. This research shall also look at a few applications of gelatin with other products like cocoa in particular.

Introduction

Gelatin is a product that has been in use for many centuries. Production of products that are variants of gelatin is traceable back to ancient Egypt. It was initially used for cooking pastries but its usage has metamorphosed over the years. The production of gelatin uses parts of animal bodies like fish pigs and cows that are domesticated.  They are taken through a process of hydrolyzing collagen extracted from the skin and bones of those animals. During the First and Second World Wars, gelatin was used to stop bleeding in injured soldiers during surgery and to expand blood plasma. There has been a lot of modifications and inventions surrounding gelatin that have enabled it to be used in almost every in everyday life ranging from medicine, beauty products to cooking pastry. In ancient Egypt, fruits or trout put in gelatin were used as a special treat during feasts.  Gelatin is commonly used as a gelling agent in the production of pharmaceutical drugs, foodstuffs, production of cosmetics and, vitamin pills. Gelatinous substances are those products that have gelatin, or they operate in the same manner as gelatin. Products that have gelatin include gums, marshmallow, ice cream, desserts, and yoghurt. For gelatin to be used in recipes, it is made into sheets, granules, and powder form to make it easy to add to foodstuff. It usually requires to be put in water for some time before cooking though, in some cases it can be added directly to food.

A report by Gelatin Manufacturers of Europe states that gelatin traces its origin to about eight thousand years ago. It was used mainly as natural glue in the form of mixtures that were gelatin-like. This glue was used to stick rolls of paper together, sticking light objects on walls, and fastening together pieces of material. This happened for a long time until about 500 years ago when jelly that was made from calves started to be used in the palace of the king of England as an ingredient of food. It was a special reserve for meals made for the king and top guests. This was the first use of gelatin as an ingredient in food because initially it was only used as thick glue. The use of gelatin was a reserve of wealthy families with many workers because it took a lot of time and resources to make.

In the year 1682, the extraction of gelatin was made easy because of the invention of the pressure cooking pot. This invention was a major boost to the production of gelatin but it was limited in that the quantity produced was small because the pressure pots were only available in small sizes. It made the people who owned these pots to spend more time repeating the process over and over again to make enough paste of gelatin. In the eighteenth century, gelatin was used as a substitute source of protein when food became scarce during the war of Napoleon. Meat was the main source of proteins but due to the war, many animals died and many were eaten up hence, there was scarce supply of meat which led to the use of gelatin as an alternative. This was a major step because it led to another discovery in the use of gelatin on drugs.

The year 1933 saw new discoveries surrounding gelatin. It was used to coat capsules that were distasteful to the taste pads as well as being used as gelatin capsules that were easy to swallow. These capsules became common in the medical world because the coating of pills that have unpleasant tastes remains a common thing until today. Major breakthroughs happened in 1875 in the industrial sector. Small factories were set up to produce large quantities of gelatin from useful by products that came from food industries. This led to the use of gelatin in more products and more discoveries were made to new industries. In the year 1880, the use of gelatin in the processes of photography made it more popular with the public in general. This is because gelatin made the process of photography to be simplified in a way that made photographers preferred to use it in their processes.

More discoveries were made in the year 1890 when granulated packs of gelatin were introduced for households. These packs of gelatin made it possible for every household that could buy them to make foodstuff out of them. They were cheaper to buy because they were now being produced in larger scales by factories. Due to the continuous discovery of the diverse uses of gelatin, it was used widely during the First and the Second World Wars. Between 1914- 1945, it was used to expand blood plasma and to stop bleeding when surgeries were done on injured soldiers. This expanded the usage of gelatin greatly and it became a household name in many countries. It was used widely in medicine, photography and in baked foods.

In more recent years, more especially 1970-1990, gelatin was also used in the production of beauty products. The products included shampoos, facial cream, masks and body lotions which were used to lower the aging speed of the skin. They also made the skin to glow and look radiant. This happens by balancing the moisture of the skin by improving hydration, and stimulating the synthesis of collagen. Most of the beauty and cosmetic products in use today are made with gelatin as a component. They keep wrinkles away for longer and make the skin look young and soft. Today, gelatin is widely used across all industries and in future it will be a key driver of inventions in many fields.

This product, gelatin, has many peculiar features that make it as common as it is in both modern and ancient times. To begin with, gelatin has been used for a long period because it is a natural food with pure protein that is healthy and it has unique features that make it to be sought after by industries that manufacture foodstuff. Gelatin is used in stabilizing, thickening, gelling, emulsifying and producing consistent cream. Its diverse capabilities make it a product that can be used in producing several products in many industries. Gelatin cannot be easily dispensed with by industries that deal in photography and pharmaceuticals. This protein, gelatin, is natural since it is manufactured from parts of animals’ bodies which have collagen and this is the main reason why it is pure. It is composed of water, minerals and a high level of protein and it easily passes for the label of products with clean rating. Products with this label have a steady growth in their demand because they have no chemical preservations and this means that they have no fat and cholesterol.

Gelatin Manufacturers of Europe state that gelatin greatly valuable to organisms, especially, human beings. It is impossible for human life to exist without protein components. This is because metabolic processes of the human body can replace nutrients such as carbohydrates. Proteins form a necessary part of the human body and ultimately, they form the most necessary part of life. Human bodies contain about thirty percent collagen in dry matter similar to other mammals. Gelatin is a best fit for humans because it is basically collagen.

Gelatin is unique because of its huge number of functions that emanate from its properties. It was found to be excellent in stabilizing, gelling, thickening and forming water without bringing about any known allergies. There is no other natural ingredient anywhere in the world that contains all the above properties in one food product. All the others need several properties of gelatin in order for them to make a product. You have to mix several ingredients for you to come up with properties that resemble those of gelatin. The use unto which gelatin will be put and the specific need of customers determine the way it should be produced. Bloom value is the most valued aspect of gelatin since it is its ability to gelatinize. Gelatin is usually produced in powder form, white and without odor or taste. Gelatin contains eighteen amino acids of which eight are among the nine that are most essential in the body, an attribute that only gelatin has.

Gelatin melts easily with an intensive production of flavor when subjected to the temperature of the body. The rest of the hydrocolloids do not own this qualitative attribute. Unlike gelatin which has a unique texture, is brilliant and very elastic, starch does not have these unique attributes that gelatin has, but rather, their texture is sticky and they are usually short. Processing gelatin is easy because it is available in different gel strengths and particle sizes. The particles of gelatin in appropriate sizes are easily soluble since they are adapted to needs of production. The report by Gelatin Manufacturers of Europe states that gelatin is not dependent on factors like normal pH range or strengths of ions to function unlike all the other products.

According to Dumitriu and Popa (2013), gelatins are in a solution state at a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius but they turn into gels as soon as they are cooled to room temperature. This gelation occurs due to physical cross links that lead to the formation of junk zones which in turn, a network that is tri-dimensional. The transformation of solutions to gel come about because of a process of disorder-order of chains of gelatins that form networks that are thermo-reversible. This happens through the association of helices in the junction zones that are then stabilized by bonds of hydrogen. This attribute is the reason gelatin stands out from all other products in this category.

Gelatin can be used together with cocoa to make delicious servings. For example, the two can be used with other ingredients to make chocolate pudding in Jell-O style. For you to make this pudding, you will need the following ingredients. A quarter ounce gelatin powder,  two and a half ounces of milk, five ounces of sugar, three quarters ounce of cocoa powder, a half teaspoon of kosher salt, twelve ounces of milk and two teaspoons of vanilla extract. After you get all these ingredients, you should follow the following directions carefully so as to get the best results.

• Using a bowl of medium size, mix the gelatin with the two and a half ounces of milk. Whisk them using a fork until all the lumps disappear.
• Using a small sauce pot, put sugar, salt, cocoa and the twelve ounces of milk over low heat. Constantly whisk to make the mixture smooth and when it begins to bubble, leave it in that state for about five minutes.
• Pour the mixture while it is hot, through a sieve and into the bowl of gelatin. Again whisk the gelatin into the mixture of chocolate, stir in the vanilla and add a little salt to season it if necessary. This should be done this way because different cocoa powders have different bitterness and thus, it is necessary to season with different amounts of salt to fit individual tastes.
• Set the bowl in a refrigerator without covering it and leave it like that for fifteen minutes. Afterwards cover the mixture with a plastic sheet wrap pressed against its surface and leave it the refrigerator until it thickens completely, usually, for about two hours.

After the two hours, whip the pudding that has now thickened using a stand mixer or   your hand to give it a creamy texture. Note that beating with a spatula or trying to stir may not work efficiently in breaking the frozen pudding to a creamy and uniform texture. This pudding serves four people and it should eaten immediately because it will need to be whipped again before serving because of the firm texture that is created by prolonged refrigeration. This puddings flavor will change dramatically relative to the ingredients that are used.

References

Dumitriu, S., & Popa, V. I. (2013). Polymeric biomaterials Structure and function. London: Taylor & Francis. 290

Gelatin Manufacturers of Europe. History of Gelatin.

Stella Parks. Homemade Jell-O Style Chocolate Pudding Recipe