A lot of delicious and delicious dishes are prepared using gelatin. Jellies, mousses, various desserts and jellied snacks … The use of this product in cooking is practically inexhaustible. But few people think that the field of application of gelatin is much wider and more diverse, and goes far beyond the kitchen alone.
Composition and benefits of gelatin
What exactly is gelatin? Gelatin is a derived animal protein mass obtained in the process of digestion of bones, cartilage and tendons of animals, in particular cattle. Gelatin is 85% animal protein. It also contains sodium and potassium salts, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium, fats and carbohydrates. But the main ingredient that determines the nutritional value and usefulness of gelatin is the presence of collagen amino acids in the composition.
Taking these factors into account, dishes prepared with the addition of gelatin are well absorbed by the body. The presence of collagen increases the elasticity of joints and connective tissues, improves the condition of the skin, nails and hair, strengthens bone and cartilage tissue, which serves as an excellent prevention of diseases such as osteoporosis and arthrosis. Eating gelatin-based foods increases blood clotting, which has a beneficial effect on the work of the heart muscle and regulates the dystonic states of the body.
Applications of gelatin
Of course, first of all, gelatin has won its niche in the kitchen. Many wonderful desserts are prepared with the addition of this natural product. Multi-layered jellies of incredible beauty cannot be prepared without the use of a gelatin base. And what about traditional jellied meat and aspic? No festive table is complete without these traditional dishes. Each housewife has a couple of recipes using gelatin in stock, and there is always a couple of bags of these golden granules in the kitchen cabinet.
But the use of gelatin is not at all limited to cooking. The well-known wood glue is a derivative of this product. In the technical industry, it is used for the production of varnish and paint products, various adhesive bases, special grades of paper, emulsion coatings and others.
In pharmacology, gelatin is used to make soluble capsules for drugs, and is also used as a neutral binding base for drugs. And gelatin itself is often used as a separate prophylactic agent in the treatment of protein deficiency. And in recent years, animal gelatin has been widely used in the beauty industry for the production of highly effective caring cosmetics.
