Kosher gelatin -- skip if not interested

January 11, 2004

Dear Jackie and Miriam,

Hi girls. I was raised kosher (orthodox many, many years ago) and never

remembered there being any kosher gelatin, however I did a search for

kosher gelatin and came up with this link:

http://www.barryfarm.com/desserts.htm

However, the nutritional information says that the unflavored gelatin

(made with no meat products) has no protein and the flavored gelatins

have only 1.4 grams of protein per serving, so I don't know if it's

worth it or not for you. In order to get the protein (like the Knox

gelatin being discussed) you have to have the one made with meat

products and according to the following article, there's no way you're

gonna find it to be kosher.

To anyone reading this, it's quite lengthy and if it's not in your

interest, hit your delete key now... hahahaha.

By the way, they talk about agar agar and carrageenan as kosher,

vegetarian, gelatin substitutes, but I believe that these two items will

allow items to gel, but do not contain protein that you're looking for.

Sorry, but I think if you want the benefit the others are getting out of

gelatin, you're not going to get it on the kosher side. Read on...

Getting into the Thick of Things - Gelatin

Rabbi Avrohom Mushell, Star-K Kashrus Administrator

Have you ever had a slice of Petcha, gala reta that spicy globby stuff

Bubby used to cook up. How did she manage to make it so thick?

Better yet, open a can of gefilte fish. Look at the stiff jell that

comes as its broth. Why When you cook your own gefilte fish, do you not

get that solid jelly from your broth?

Did you ever wonder why theirs is so thick and yours is not?

COLLAGEN is the answer to this thickening question.

Collagen is a fibrous insoluble protein that makes up a major portion of

bone, skin and connective tissue. By cooking animal bones or adding fish

bones to the broth of your gefilte fish, you will extract some of the

collagen from the bones. This gives you the wobbly jelly in Petcha or

the gefilte fish that comes in a can.

The most common form that collagen is marketed to us is in its partially

hydrolyzed state known commonly as gelatin. The word gelatin comes from

the Latin word gelatus, meaning stiff or frozen. Gelatin stiffness is

measured in units called Bloom. This refers to a measuring device

developed by a man named T. Bloom. High bloom refers to a higher

molecular weight of the gelatin giving a stiffer consistency. Different

applications will require different bloom levels.

Gelatin Uses

Gel Desserts

Ice Creams

Gummy Bears

Throat Lozenges

Low Fat Items

Sugar Glazes

Emulsifiers

Marshmallows

Toffees

Vitamins

Frostings

Capsules

Yogurts

Protein Supplements

With the commercialization of food processing, this versatile ingredient

has shown its usefulness in a variety of foods. We may be well aware of

its use in making jellylike confections from Jell-O to Gummy Bears. But

the usefulness of gelatin goes beyond that. Gelatin is fat free, yet it

leaves a smooth feeling in your mouth similar to that of fat. This

effect is very useful as an additive to foods that are marketed as low

fat. Gelatin also acts as an emulsifier helping to distribute fat and

add stability to confections. This is helpful in toffees or in

spreadable frostings, creams, yogurts and ice creams. Adding gelatin can

make a candy last longer as gelatin does not break down as quickly as

sugars do. This makes the addition of gelatin ideal for throat lozenges.

Similarly hard sugar glazes will stay white and not run when gelatin is

added. Gelatin can hold shape when aerated to create light and fluffy

marshmallows. In vitamins and medicines gelatin can be used as a coating

to cover a bitter taste or as a capsule to contain the powders. Some use

plain gelatin as a protein supplement to their diet. All in all, gelatin

is remarkably versatile and ideal for the manufacture of many processed

foods and confections. The only question to the kosher consumer is, can

one use foods containing gelatin?

The answer, in short, is it depends on the source. As mentioned before,

gelatin is made by extracting the collagen from the bones and skins of

animals and fish. Most commonly, the gelatin made from animal products

is not being manufactured from kosher or Kosher-slaughtered animals.

There are several questions that must be addressed to understand the

Halachic status of gelatin. For starters the Torah prohibits eating the

meat of those animals or fish designated as tameh (unclean/non-kosher).

Examples are, pig, horse, catfish, and shark. Meat of an animal that is

tahor (clean/kosher) and is not properly slaughtered is prohibited by

the Torah as nevelah. Do these prohibitions also apply to the bones and

skin of the animal as well? If the prohibitions of nevelah and tameh

were to apply to the skins and bones, can this status be altered through

the processing used in the manufacture of gelatin? Lastly, if the animal

source for the gelatin is kosher, does it retain the properties inherent

to it's source? Is such gelatin considered meat and therefore cannot be

cooked or eaten with dairy products? If the source is fish, can it be

used together with meat? The Shulchan Aruch (Yore Deah 116:2) states

that one may not eat fish with meat as it is considered unhealthy. This

is based on the Gemora which teaches that meat cooked with fish causes

disease. Does gelatin extracted from fish carry this restriction?

With reference to the question, does processing alter the status of

meat, we may cite a similar question discussed in Yore Deah (87:10). It

used to be the practice to make cheese curd by adding the skin of a

calf's stomach to milk, or by letting the milk sit in a calf's stomach.

The Rema states that where the stomach has been salted and dried to the

extent that is like a piece of wood, if milk is added to it, it is

permitted to use the resulting cheese. The Shach notes that although one

may use the milk products, it is not proper to do this intentionally.

The Pri Megadim notes that the Rema's leniency applies specifically to

the stomach of an animal which has less meat flavor and not to regular

meat. The Pri Megadim adds that the Rema allowed this only where the

stomach was removed from the milk after a short time and not heated with

the milk. If the stomach stays for a period of over 24 hours or is

heated with the milk, it will absorb meat flavor and be prohibited.

These statements were made in reference to dried kosher meat parts.

Although they were meat, they were kosher and did not carry a

prohibition. The fact that they were dried, serves to prevent them from

attaining a prohibition when mixed with milk. This may not be the case

where the source is not kosher. There is a rule that states; " that which

comes out of an unclean (non-kosher) source remains unclean

(non-kosher) " . If so, we should say that the by-products of a non-kosher

animal retain their non-kosher status.

As to the question, are hides considered meat, Horav Moshe Feinstein

zt " l addressed this issue in Igros Moshe (vol:1 #37). There he writes

that hides are not considered meat (to prohibit its mixture with milk)

by Torah Law. They are prohibited with milk by Rabbinic law. If they are

dried and processed, the gelatin that comes out is not included in this

Rabbinic prohibition. Therefore, gelatin produced from kosher

slaughtered animal hides may be intentionally used with milk, provided

that the hides are cleaned to remove any meat residue. There are

opinions that disagree with Horav Feinstein's conclusion. Notably, Horav

Aharon Kotler zt " l concludes that gelatin produced from kosher hides is

considered meat. However, there is room for leniency when dealing with

gelatin derived from kosher hides as the gelatin has little or no taste.

Therefore it can be nullified in pareve ingredients resulting in a

pareve product (this does not contradict the rule ein mvatlin issur

lechatchila, as it is heter.). However, gelatin from non-kosher hides

retains its prohibited status.

It must be noted that we have not addressed the question of blood in or

on the hides. We know that blood is prohibited for consumption by Torah

Law. This is why we salt our meats prior to cooking. There is a question

regarding animal hides as to whether we assume there is blood absorbed

in them which must be removed. To satisfy all opinions, one would have

to salt hides prior to processing.

The question, do bones of a non-kosher animal carry the same prohibition

as the meat, is discussed in Yoreh Deah (99). The Shulchan Aruch

maintains that bones of a prohibited animal are kosher and would in fact

count as part of the permitted food to constitute a majority of sixty

kosher parts. The Rema maintains that although the bones themselves are

not prohibited they do not count as part of the kosher percentage when

mixed with other kosher food. The Shach quotes the strict view that the

moisture in bones of non-kosher animals is not kosher. Only dry bones

are viewed as kosher. Some rabbinic authorities interpret the collagen

as being part of the natural liquid of the bone which the Shach

prohibited.

It should be noted that even the Shulchan Aruch was only talking about

the actual bone itself not the marrow of the bone, which is treated as

meat and is prohibited. Furthermore, if the bone was already cooked with

non-kosher meat or bone-marrow, it becomes unkosher.

As you may have deduced from the above information, if we were to

produce gelatin from a non-kosher animal bone, this may only be done

with cleaned and dried bone without any marrow or soft tissue. Rabbinic

authorities note that one cannot assume that the manufacturers process

alone will be pure enough to produce gelatin in a kosher manner. We

should also take into account the opinions that the collagen in the bone

is prohibited as part of the animals liquids. All things considered, one

should refrain from consuming gelatin from a non-kosher animal. This

indeed is the practice of most reputable kosher certifying

organizations. Where the source of the gelatin is a kosher animal, there

are still logistical problems to overcome. Aside from the prohibitions

of tameh and nevela discussed above, we must also be concerned with the

prohibition of treifa. This refers to the Torah's prohibition against

consumption of animals that have certain injuries or disorders. Since

most of the inspections to determine if the animal is treifa are done

after the slaughter and skinning of the animal, the hides must be

tracked to be sure that treifa hides do not get mixed up with kosher

hides. For this reason meticulous supervision is needed to oversee

production. As with any kosher food, the production must also be done on

kosher equipment. If the processing is to be done in a non-kosher plant

(as is usually the case), the equipment must be cleaned and kosherized

before kosher production.

Similarly fish gelatin in order to be considered kosher must be produced

from kosher species of fish. The use of fish gelatin with meat foods

poses an interesting question. As we have mentioned the Shulchan Aruch

(Yore Deah:116) prohibits cooking meat and fish together because of

health concerns. When dealing with possible health concerns we are more

stringent than with possible Issur (prohibited substances). For this

reason there is a question among the commentaries if the nullification

in sixty rule applies to unhealthy substances as it does with prohibited

substances. The custom is that one can nullify unhealthy substances in

sixty (see Nekudas Hakesef, Yoreh Deah:116 & Pische' Tshuvah).

Today there are many reasons for leniency in the use of fish gelatin

together with meat. Many rabbinic authorities are of the opinion that

the nature of some foods have changed, making the mixture of meat and

fish no longer unhealthy (see Magen Avrohom Orach Chaim 173:1, Tshuvos

Chasm Sofer vol:1 #101) In addition there is reason to say that not all

fish are dangerous with meat. It may be that only the type mentioned in

the Gemora (Binita) is unhealthy (see Pische' Tshuvah, Yoreh Deah

116:3). There is also good reason to say that the unhealthy aspects of

fish cooked with meat are found in the flesh of the fish, not in their

skin and bone (from which gelatin is made). Gelatin does not have fish

flavor. As such it may not harbor the harmful effects that fish carry

(see Pische Tshuva ,Tshuvos Sride Eish vol:2 #67 re. cooking beef in

fish oil). With this same reasoning we can say that gelatin can be batel

(nullified) with a majority of other food ingredients and can be mixed

with meat. (As stated according to R' Aharon Kotler, zt " l regarding

animal gelatin & milk) As a result of these reasons it is acceptable to

use fish gelatin with meat. We may use much the same reasoning in the

reverse case, to allow animal gelatin with fish.

In summary, gelatin produced from tahor species that is properly

processed (slaughter, internally checked and salted in the case of

animal source) and made on kosher equipment is acceptable.

Gelatin Substitutes

Agar Agar

Carrageenan

Gums & Thickeners

Gum Arabic

Carob

Guar

Karaya

Pectin

Tragacanth

Xantham

In today's market there are reliably kosher gelatins available from both

animal and fish sources. There are other gelatin substitutes that are

not animal or fish based which have similar properties to gelatin and

can serve in its stead. Common among them are Agar Agar, and Carrageenan

made from sea vegetation. Agar Agar or Katen, is derived from a red

algae known as gelidium comeum. Agar Agar has strong setting properties

like gelatin. In fact unlike gelatin which needs refrigeration to set,

Agar Agar will gel at room temperature. Gels made from Agar Agar are

affected by acidity more than gelatin. Thus one may find fruity deserts

made with Agar Agar likely to turn watery. Carrageenan also known as

Irish Moss is a reddish purple seaweed. Its jell is not as stiff as

gelatin or Agar Agar but it is quite useful as an emulsifier or as a

gelling or thickening additive. There are other vegetable derivatives

that can serve as gelatin replacements as stabilizers, emulsifiers or

thickeners. Pectin, used in jams and jellies, is a complex carbohydrate

extracted from apple pulp and citrus rinds. There are many other

vegetable gums that can be used. Amongst them are the gums of Guar,

Carob, Gum Arabic, Tragacanth, and Karaya. Guar is a legume commonly

found in Pakistan and India. Gum Arabic is derived from Acacia trees

found in Sudan and West Africa, and Locust Bean Gums extracted from

Carob beans (boxer) common to the Middle-East and the Mediterranean.

Tragacanth gum is gathered from the breaks in the bark of the Astragalus

shrub common to Asia. Karaya or Sterculia gum is from the Sterculia tree

found in India. Xantham Gum, often seen as an ingredient in kosher salad

dressings and the like, is not of plant origin. It is produced by the

microbial fermentation of a carbohydrate with the xanthomonas campestris

organism. Gelatin substitutes are also making headway in the field of

vitamin and medicinal capsules.

Vegicaps, the vegetable based capsules, are now gaining popularity and

are being used as a kosher alternative in the vitamin and nutritional

industry. Regarding the taking of medicines and supplements that have

non-kosher gel coatings and capsules, see the Summer 1995 Kashrus

Kurrents article, Does over the counter need to be under Hashgacha, by

Rabbi Dovid Heber.

So when you want to get into the thick of it or if you want your dessert

to gel, there are alternatives that do not compromise good kashruth

standards.

live each day like it's your last... love like you've never been hurt...

Deb in Hazlet, NJ

" Debbie Dancer "

distal rny

September 3, 2002

386/212/165

BMI 60/31/24

-174

-100 "

Angel to Bill, Debbie, Ilene, Roy, and Ro

January 11, 2004