How many times have you wondered what was really in those gummy candies that children love so much? Not everyone knows the answer, it could shock someone: animal jelly. Yes, the one derived from boiling bones, cartilage and skin. An ingredient so common that it is almost invisible in our lives, yet so problematic for those who seek to reduce the environmental impact of their choices.
Because, you see, gelatin is one of those components that seems impossible to replace. But researchers atUniversity of Ottawa they might have found in the tragacanth, extracted from the sap of some legumes, a possible way out.
The jelly hidden everywhere
Gelatin is not just in candy. It is hidden in many products we consume daily, from drug capsules to โgreenโ packaging (yes, there is extraordinary irony in this). Doesnโt the paradox of using animal parts to create โecoโ packaging strike you? We are desperately looking for alternatives to plastics, but we continue to boil animal waste for other uses; the circle is not closed, and neither is coherence.
The challenge of finding suitable replacements, however, is enormous: Gelatin has unique properties that make it almost irreplaceable. Its peculiar structure and transparency are characteristics that any alternative should replicate perfectly. It is not just a question of โsimilarityโ; the substitute must behave exactly like gelatin in various applications, from confectionery to packaging.
โGelatin has unique properties and its use is versatile,โ said the study's author Ezgi Pulatsu. โTo replace it completely, we need to replicate its microstructure and understand its function in different applications.โ
The Promise of Gum Tragacanth
Why might gum tragacanth be the ideal candidate to supplant animal gelatin? First of all, it is a by-product of the sap of some leguminous plants and shows promising characteristics in terms of both structure and transparency. It is abundant in nature and its basic properties seem just right.
<strong>The Eurobursar</strong> Pulatsu developed films containing different concentrations of gelatin and gum tragacanth (some constructed with alternating layers, others with mixtures of the two compounds) monitoring their resistance in water and salt solutions. The fascinating part of the research was precisely this: seeing how the two materials they interact with each other, as they complement or hinder each other.
The results? Encouraging but not definitive. The optimal combination to maintain the typical behavior of gelatin It turned out to be a ratio of 3 to 1 between gum tragacanth and animal gelatin. The problem? The inclusion of tragacanth makes the film more porous, and therefore more vulnerable to the penetration of water or salt solutions. Not exactly ideal for a material that's supposed to protect food or medicine, right?
The road is still long
Although tragacanth cannot yet completely replace gelatin, researchers continue their work. One of the possible avenues is to improve the suitability of tragacanth through chemical and structural modifications that can increase its mechanical and barrier properties.
โThe partial replacement of gelatine will reduce the use of animal products,โ he said Pulatsu. โOur efforts towards the complete replacement of gelatin are ongoing.โ
Each specific application will have its own challenges. For example, replacing gelatin in candy requires careful consideration of the impacts of gum tragacanth on sweetness, texture, and clarity, while brittleness and flexibility are key factors for food packaging.
It is not only a technical question, but also an ethical and economic one. I wonder how long it will take before the big food companies really abandon animal gelatin. The force of habit and low costs are powerful deterrents to change. Yet this is precisely where science can make the difference, making the alternative not only ethically superior but also economically competitive.
The research was published on Physics of fluids.
