The essence and characteristics of gelatine

Another name for gelatine: Gelatin, a protein mainly derived from animal skins and bones, is a common food coagulant.Chicken Collagen Gelatin becomes liquid when heated and becomes an elastic solid gel block when cooled. The ability of gelatin to dissolve and coagulate into each other is the ability of gelatin, which can play the role of coagulation (mousse, jelly), stabilization (ice cream), expansion (marshmallows) and thickening (kully, jam concentrate) in dessert production. In different gelatin concentrations, the melting point of gelatin is 21-34°C and the freezing point is 16-29°C. Gelatin can absorb 5-10 times its own water, and it is generally believed that 5-6 times the water absorption is most beneficial to the dissolution of gelatine.

The misunderstanding that needs to be corrected is that gelatine solution does not have to be refrigerated to solidify. It also solidifies slowly at room temperature and is very strong. However,Collagen Peptides after being refrigerated, it solidifies quickly and prevents the growth of bacteria. After the jelly is refrigerated and formed, the internal gelatin molecular chains will continue to bond slowly, so it will become stronger after being refrigerated for a long time. Solid with a low gelatin content, such as mousse, will remelt at room temperature; but solids with a high gelatin content, such as jelly, will not melt at room temperature.

Gelatin industrial products used in dessert making and their coagulation power

Commonly used gelatin products in dessert making are: gelatine sheets and gelatine powder. Their essence is the same, each has high-quality, average or inferior products. Gelatin powder is more convenient to use,5g Gelatin Sheet but pastry chefs prefer to use high-quality gelatine sheets because it has a pure taste and is completely transparent.

The common specifications of gelatine tablets are 2-2.5g/piece or 5g/piece. The gelling power of gelatine is represented by Bloom, which is the freezing power value, which is basically in the range of 50-300. The gelatine used in the kitchen is between 125-250. Above 190 is gold grade gelatine (there are even platinum grades higher than 230) with strong coagulation power; 120-190 is silver grade; below 120 is bronze grade. In short, under the same coagulation effect, the higher the grade of gelatine, the less it is used and the price is more expensive. In finished desserts, the gelatin concentration is generally 1.5-2.0%.

Within the temperature range of 60-70°C, the gelatin solution can be stored for several hours without losing much gelling power. For example, experiments show that when stored at 60°C for 2 hours, the gel strength is 98% of the original value. Even if the gelatin solution is kept at 90-100°C for a few minutes, it will not cause too much coagulation loss. However, if the gelatin solution exceeds 100°C, the gel strength will be significantly damaged.

Therefore, don’t worry too much about the temperature at which the gelatine is added to the liquid. Warming is safe, not just boiling. The important thing is: stir and cool down immediately after adding, for example: quickly cool down to room temperature in an ice bath; do not boil the gelatine solution

In addition to temperature, other factors in the solution environment also have a significant impact on the coagulation power of gelatine. Salt and acid will weaken the gel; sugar, milk, and alcohol will increase the strength of the gel; the digestive enzymes in the juice will make the gel ineffective (so the juice must be heated to remove the enzyme), etc. However, these are all established under specific conditions. For example, if the pH value of the solution is lower than 4, the coagulation force will weaken; another example is that alcohol can increase the coagulation strength, but if the alcohol ratio exceeds 30%, it may be counterproductive; sugar can be obtained from gelatin Moisture is absorbed into the molecules, thereby increasing coagulation power. The saying "the more sugar, the softer the mousse" is circulated on the Internet may require certain conditions to be clarified.