Food gelatin - Regulation, markets and properties

Gelatin is one of the world's most widely used hydrocolloids. It is a pure, natural protein extracted from the collagen of animals such as pigs, cattle, dromedaries, poultry and fish. It is characterized on the one hand by its multiple functionalities in terms of thickening, gelling, binding, stabilizing, emulsifying, foaming properties, etc., and on the other by a multitude of applications in a variety of sectors: agri-food, pharmaceutical, medical, cosmetics, photography, etc.

It is not considered an additive, but an "ingredient" that meets the requirements of Clean Label product specifications. A wide range of gelatins is available to meet the diverse needs of our customers, such as sheet gelatin or cold soluble gelatin. It's a must-have ingredient, as evidenced by sales of several hundred million dollars worldwide. It also has a strong argument in its favor: its relatively modest cost.

Criticized by some for religious reasons (in the case of pigs), it also suffers from suspicions of possible risks with regard to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. Nevertheless, the major risk remains that of cross-contamination, i.e. animal by-products not intended for one species mistakenly ending up in its feed. This is why ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail) has issued a rule to ensure scrupulous respect for the separation of species on all sites throughout the production process, while authorizing the use of certain animal proteins in pig and poultry feed since 2021.

After a brief historical and regulatory overview, this article will look at the origins and physico-chemical properties of collagen and gelatin, the kinetics of gel formation, the rheology of a gelatin solution, its protective and adhesive properties, and the nutritional value of gelatin.