In the current food industry, food additives are almost ubiquitous, especially in countries with well-developed food sectors. Edible gelatin, as an additive, has been widely used in the production of candies, frozen foods, and more. Additionally, gelatin finds extensive applications in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. According to reports, over 60% of the world’s gelatin is utilized in the food confectionery industry. In candy production, gelatin is employed in the manufacturing of soft candies such as milk candies, protein candies, cotton candies, fruit juice gummies, crystal flower gummies, gummy bears, and others.
As a food additive, gelatin primarily serves the following functions in food:
Improver for Frozen Foods
In frozen foods, gelatin acts as a gelling agent. Gelatin gel has a relatively low melting point, easily dissolves in hot water, and offers a melt-in-your-mouth experience. It is commonly used in the production of dining gels and cereal gels. Gelatin is also employed in making jelly, where gelatin gel does not crystallize in warm, yet undissolved, syrup. When the warm gel is stirred and broken, it can re-form into a gel.
Stabilizer
Primarily used in the production of ice cream and popsicles, gelatin prevents the formation of coarse ice crystals, maintains a fine texture, and slows down the melting rate. To achieve high-quality ice cream, the gelatin content must be precisely balanced. Too little results in a coarse, brittle, and weak structure, while too much leads to excessive viscosity, both of which affect the quality of the ice cream.
Meat Product Improver
As a gelling agent, gelatin is added to meat products such as wild boar meat, meat jelly, canned ham, tongue, veal, ham pies, canned meats, and Zhenjiang braised pork, enhancing both yield and quality. Additionally, gelatin can act as an emulsifier for certain meat products, such as emulsifying the fat in meat sauce and cream soups, while preserving the original characteristics of the products.
Thickener
In canned foods, adding gelatin powder helps prevent sticking to the lid. During the production of meat cans, a certain proportion of gelatin solution can be added to not only enhance the meat flavor and thicken the broth but also create a transparent and smooth surface, making the canned meat more visually appealing.
Beverage Clarifier
Gelatin serves as a clarifying agent in the production of beer, fruit wines, liqueurs, fruit juices, yellow rice wine, and almond milk beverages. Its mechanism of action involves gelatin reacting with tannins to form flocculent precipitates. After standing, these flocculent colloidal particles adsorb, coagulate, and clump together with turbid substances, which are then removed through filtration.
Dairy Product Additive
Gelatin is widely used in various dairy products such as yogurt, acidic diluted milk, soft cheeses, and flavored milk. Gelatin serves three main functions in dairy products:
- Preventing whey separation: Gelatin prevents whey separation by forming hydrogen bonds, avoiding the shrinkage of casein, and thus preventing the separation of solid phases from liquid phases.
- Emulsifying and stabilizing: Although casein itself is a natural emulsifier and stabilizer, it loses these properties in acidic environments. Gelatin provides stable conditions for casein, acting as a protective colloid.
- Stabilizing milk foam: All milk foams can be considered as air-fat-water emulsions. Gelatin, as a hydrophilic colloid, combines with water to form a thin gelatin layer covering fat globules and wrapping air bubbles, reducing the impact of external conditions on the air pressure within the bubbles and stabilizing the foam, thereby establishing a stable emulsified state.
Food Coating Material
Recently, countries like Japan have increasingly used gelatin for food coatings. Coating food surfaces with gelatin offers the following advantages:
- Inhibiting browning reactions when two different foods are combined;
- Preventing moisture absorption and hardening of the food;
- Imparting a glossy finish to the food surface, enhancing quality;
- Preventing food spoilage and oxidation;
- Acting as a stabilizer to prevent product shrinkage and deformation;
- Providing a preservative effect.
Other Applications
In food production, gelatin is also used in making cakes and various sugar coatings. Due to its stability, such sugar coatings do not penetrate into the cakes even in hot weather when the liquid phase increases, and they can also control the size of sugar crystals. Gelatin is also used in making the colored beads for colored-bead ice cream and sugar-free canned foods.
Gelatin possesses numerous excellent physical and chemical properties, making it not only cruciFood Additiveal in the food industry but also widely applicable in various disciplines such as biology, optics, medicine, and industrial technology.