Gelatine is one of the most versatile biological products with a wide range of physical and chemical properties. It is a natural animal protein composed of various essential amino acids required for human nutrition.
Gelatine is derived from the selective hydrolysis and extraction of protein collagen found mainly in the connective tissues of animals.
Collagen is the principal organic component of animal bones. In India bovine bones, are the conventional raw materials used in gelatine manufacture. The formation of water soluble gelatine may be regarded as hydration and hydrolysis of collagen. Gelatine molecules represent various sized units, each a fragment of the collagenous chain.
Gelatine is not a single chemical entity. It is a mixture of fractions different principally in molecular sizes. These fractions are composed entirely of amino acid radicals joined together by peptide linkages.
Gelatine contains the essential elements of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. It contains all the amino acids which are essential for mammalian nutrition with the exception of tryptophane. It has a direct contribution to a wide range of products in the pharmaceutical, edible, photographic and other technical industries.