Jello...I hate to ask this but...?

Question

My mom told me a long time ago (when I found out about gelatin and where it comes from...ugh) that its all synthetic now because I had refused to eat any after I found out. But honestly, I love Jello. Its cheap, its low-cal usually, and the flavours!! Lol. I guess what I'm asking is, Is jello still made from swine by-products, or is it synthetic?

Answer 1

Production
The production of gelatin typically starts with the boiling of cattle bones or pig skins; contratary to popular conception, horns and hooves are not used. This material is then soaked with acid or alkali in large vats to extract and hydrolyze the protein collagen. The extract is then dried and ground to form a powder.

To make gelatin desserts, typically powdered gelatin is mixed with sugar, and additives such as adipic acid, fumaric acid, sodium citrate, and artificial flavorings and food colors. Very hot water is added to swell the powdered gelatin and gel the liquid. The dessert gels slowly as it cools.

Because the collagen is processed extensively, the final product is not categorized as a meat or animal product by the US federal government




Alternatives
Some gelatinous desserts can be made with agar instead of gelatin, allowing them to congeal more quickly and at higher temperatures. Agar, a vegetable product made from seaweed, is used especially in quick jelly powder mix and Asian jelly deserts, but also as an alternative that is acceptable to vegetarians. Agar is more closely related to pectin and other gelling plant carbohydrates than to gelatin.

Another vegan or vegetarian alternative to gelatin is carageenan. This alternative sets more firmly than agar, and is often used in kosher cooking. Though it, too, is a type of seaweed, it tends not to have an unpleasant smell during cooking like agar sometimes does

May be look for kosher products.

Answer 2

Jello is still made from gelatin. Gelatin is the boiled bones and ligaments of cows, horses, pigs.
You can go to any health food store and find vegetarian "jello". The gelatin in that is made from things that are plant based or fish based, so it wouldn't be considered vegan. I have never tried it myself as I don't eat fish, either.
Good Luck

Answer 3

It is absolutely still made from connective tissue of animals. Usually beef or pig. Some kosher gelatins are made from fish. The test for animal based gelatin is if you put fresh pineapple in it and it doesn't gel, it's made from animals. Carageenan is made from seaweed and acts somewhat like gelatin. The difference there is that it will gel with fresh pineapple in it, but don't use ice cubes... The pineapple must be fresh, canned pineapple won't do it becase the enzymes that break down the gelatin are cooked off in the canned pineapple.

Answer 4

It's made with the substance between the skin or connective tissues of animals (gelatin). It "jells" for the same reason consomme does- it has a big amount of animal tissue.

"jello" is a product name for flavored gelatin. They also use it in gummy candy,

Gelatin is just a processed version of a structural protein called collagen that is found in many animals, including humans. Collagen actually makes up almost a third of all the protein in the human body. It is a big, fibrous molecule that makes skin, bones, and tendons both strong and somewhat elastic. As you get older, your body makes less collagen, and individual collagen fibers become crosslinked with each other. You might experience this as stiff joints (from less flexible tendons) or wrinkles (from loss of skin elasticity).

The gelatin you eat in Jell-O comes from the collagen in cow or pig bones, hooves, and connective tissues. To make gelatin, manufacturers grind up these various parts and pre-treat them with either a strong acid or a strong base to break down cellular structures and release proteins like collagen. After pre-treatment, the resulting mixture is boiled. During this process, the large collagen protein ends up being partially broken down, and the resulting product is called gelatin. The gelatin is easily extracted because it forms a layer on the surface of the boiling mixture

Answer 5

As far as I know, there is no such thing as synthetic gelatin. Maybe your mom was just trying to make you feel better about what it actually is.

For those of you who don't know, gelatin-the same thing they make Jell-O out of as well as a finish for the film for your camera-is the result of boiling the marrow out of animal bones, usually cow bones, not pig (as in "swine") and mixing it with other chemicals and preservatives. Yummy!

Answer 6

Gelatin is made from bones. It is present in many products including most candies, toffies and licorice.
A good substitute is Agar-agar (a seaweed, colourless, odourless, tasteless) which is used in many Asian countries as a base to make delicious jellied desserts.
Isn't it a little bit strange that you would prefer to be eating something synthetic?

Answer 7

It's not synthetic. There are vegetarian versions of jello out there that use carrageenan though which is made from seaweed and gels the same way. I think thats it's Dole that makes that fruit in gel snack that is veg friendly!

Answer 8

I really haven't a clue, but a good vegetarian substitute is agar-agar. A little tricky, and a different texture, but you can use pure fruit juices and have a completely natural product. Gelatin is the least of my worries in jello, ALL those chemicals and artificial flavors get to me! It doesn't even taste good, or real.

Answer 9

The gelatin in Jell-O is what lets you transform it into all sorts of different shapes. What exactly is gelatin? Gelatin is just a processed version of a structural protein called collagen that is found in many animals, including humans. Collagen actually makes up almost a third of all the protein in the human body. It is a big, fibrous molecule that makes skin, bones, and tendons both strong and somewhat elastic. As you get older, your body makes less collagen, and individual collagen fibers become crosslinked with each other. You might experience this as stiff joints (from less flexible tendons) or wrinkles (from loss of skin elasticity).

Answer 10

Whats the diff if you like it? If you're going to eat in anyway, why would you want to know?
Hot dogs, pork rinds, sausage, steak, chitlins, gizzards, they're all gross and never cross my lips. Speaking of lips, lipstick is made from pigs too.
Cheap, low cal, flavorful,-- veggies, fruit and grains. Soy for protein and you got a good diet:
low fat, low sodium, low cholesterol, full of vitamins. I know you didnt ask, but do people actually ask for the hormones in cow muscle revered as steak?