1. Product overview

Derived from the Latin Gelatus (frozen), gelatin is not, strictly speaking, a finished product, but rather an intermediate food product (IFP) extracted from the co-products of beef, fish and, for the most part, pork. In Europe, 80% of edible gelatin is produced from pork rind, and 15% from the thin layer of collagen between the epidermis and the subcutaneous layer of cattle. The remaining 5% comes from pig and cattle bones, as well as fish. Animals are sourced exclusively from approved slaughterhouses, and are examined beforehand by veterinarians. Only raw materials recognized as fit for human consumption are used to manufacture gelatin. This article will deliberately focus only on the case of pork gelatin (figure 1 )...