Preparing Halal gelatin for Muslims

Muslims can only consume the products manufactured by the non Muslims only if they are prepared with the Halal gelatin. Islamic laws are very strict when it comes to food. Muslims only consume the products that are considered as Halal. Gelatin is Halal if it is prepared from the Halal animals. So the food that is prepared from the permitted gelatin is also Halal. There is also compulsion that the animals should be slaughtered in the way told by Islam.

Usually the gelatin available in the market is not Halal. So this becomes a major issue for the Muslims to consume the products especially if they are living in the non Muslim countries.

The Materials Used For Gelatin Preparation

Companies preparing permitted gelatin use cattle bones, hides and skin and these animals are also slaughtered through halal procedure. And the gelatin prepared through animals that are not slaughtered through halal procedure is not halal. So the consumption of the products prepared with such gelatin is not allowed under the Islamic law.

The Production Process

Gelatin is obtained from collagen through hydrolysis process. For the preparation of gelatin, the fresh bones that are called the green bones are collected and cleaned. After that they are cut into very small sizes of about 1-2 cm and then treated with dilute hydrochloric acid to remove the mineral salts. The ossein is produced after the removal of mineral salt which is the sponge-like material. The cattle hides are collected from the leather factories.

The ossein and hides are then treated with alkali. It takes about eight to 12 weeks. The lime and water is use to determine the alkalinity. At the end according the acid PH, the product pH is adjusted.

Finally the product is extracted and 3-6 variations are involved in the extraction. The different temperatures are used in the extraction process. The temperature is also raised from 5 to 10 degree centigrade in the equal time interval. The extractions are collected at each level and every product is kept separated and stored as per customer requirements.

In Muslim countries the permitted gelatin is also obtained from the fish skins and poultry skins. The gelatin consumable for the Muslims is not available in every part of the world. There are some vegetable substitutes that can also be used in place of gelatin if permitted gelatin is not available. The vegetable substitutes perform the same function as the gelatin.  These vegetable substitutes include Agar, Carrageenan, Pectin, Pectin, Modified corn starch and Cellulose gum. The Muslims are not allowed to compromise the halal food at any cost.

Gelatin is used in many kinds of products like jellies, ice creams, juices, medicines, food supplements, cakes and confectionery etc. The ingredient labels do not show the presence of the kind of gelatin so the halal consumers have to be very careful in this regard. The Muslim world requires that the gelatin used in the food products must be halal. There are many gelatin (halal) manufacturers in the Muslim countries.