What is jelly?

Question

Is it a solid, or a liquid, or is there a name for something in between?
How is it made up, molecularly?
Thanks

Answer 1

Gelatine is a form of matter known as a colloid. A colloid consists of two substances which don't ordinarily mix, but are so finely divided, they form a mass. Another colloid is whipped cream. Cream and air don't mix, but they will if the air forms billions of tiny bubbles. Gelatine itself consists of long, stringy protien molecules which form a matrix around water molecules. Dry gelatine is hard and crystaline, but the addition of water expands it and makes it soft and pliable. The protien in gelatine is known as collagin. It is found in connective tissue and is extracted from animal carcases by boiling the hooves, horns, hide and bones.

Answer 2

Jelly may refer to:
-Fruit preserves refers to fruit, or vegetables, that have been prepared, canned or jarred for long term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves traditionally involves the use of pectin. There are various types of fruit preserves made globally, and they can be made from sweet or savory ingredients.


-Gelatin is a translucent brittle solid substance, colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and considered foul smelling, extracted from the collagen inside animals' connective tissue. It has been commonly used in food, pharmaceutical, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar way are called gelatinous. Gelatin is an irreversibly hydrolyzed form of collagen. Gelatin has an E number of E441.
Gelatin is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from connective tissues of animals such as the domesticated cattle, pigs and horses. The natural molecular bonds between individual collagen strands are broken down into a form that rearranges more easily. Gelatin melts when heated and solidifies when cooled again. Together with water, it forms a semi-solid colloid gel. Gelatin forms a solution of high viscosity in water, which sets to a gel on cooling, and its chemical composition is, in many respects, closely similar to that of its parent collagen. [1] Gelatin solutions show viscoelastic flow and streaming birefringence. If gelatin is put into contact with cold water, some of the material dissolves. The solubility of the gelatin is determined by the method of manufacture. Typically, gelatin can be dispersed in a relatively concentrated acid. Such dispersions are stable for 10-15 days with little or no chemical changes and are suitable for coating purposes or for extrusion into a precipitating bath. Gelatin is also soluble in most polar solvents. Gelatin gels exist over only a small temperature range, the upper limit being the melting point of the gel, which depends on gelatin grade and concentration and the lower limit, the ice point at which ice crystallizes. The mechanical properties are very sensitive to temperature variations, previous thermal history of the gel, and time. The viscosity of the gelatin/water mixture increases with concentration and when kept cool (≈40°f).


-A gel is a colloidal system in which a porous network of interconnected nanoparticles spans the volume of a liquid medium. In general, gels are apparently solid, jelly-like materials. Both by weight and volume, gels are mostly liquid in composition and thus exhibit densities similar to liquids, however have the structural coherence of a solid. An example of a common gel is edible gelatin.

Many gels display thixotropy - they become fluid when agitated, but resolidify when resting.

By replacing the liquid with gas it is possible to prepare aerogels, materials with exceptional properties including very low density, high specific surface areas, and excellent thermal insulation properties.

In 2005 a sound induced gelation effect was demonstrated.

Answer 3

Fruit preserves refers to fruit, or vegetables, that have been prepared, canned or jarred for long term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves traditionally involves the use of pectin.
Pectin, a white to light brown powder, is a heteropolysaccharide derived from the cell wall of higher terrestrial plants.
The main use for pectin is as a gelling agent, thickening agent and stabilizer in food. The classical application is giving the jelly-like consistency to jams or marmalades, which would otherwise be sweet juices.....

Answer 4

It is fruit juice that has been thickened by addition of pectin. Pectin is a polysaccharide of mostly galacturonic acid and some rhamnose molecules. A rich source is lemon and orange peel.

Answer 5

Either an amorphous solid or a viscous liquid. I would say a viscous liquid.

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It could also be called a colloid.

Answer 6

I believe some would call it 'plastic'