Gelatin (derived from the Latin word ‘gelatus’= forzen or stiff) contains 80-90% protein and is not only used extensively in the pharmaceutical, food and photographic industry, but also in such diverse industries as cosmetics, metal refining, paper, plastics and toiletries.

The raw material for gelatin is the naturally occurring protein, collagen, which is commercially sourced from meat and leather industries. From its earliest rudimentary culinary uses, when boiled up into broth, which when cooled produced a nutritious jelly, gelatin is now manufactured on a commercial scale to stringent technical specifications to meet the demands of variety of industries. Like its parent material, collagen, gelatin is made up of many different amino acids which are the building blocks of all proteins.

Bloom value is a measure of the gel strength of a particular type of gelatin indicating the firmness of the gel. Different bloom strengths are required for different applications and must be considered together with other performance characteristics when selecting a suitable grade of gelatin.