Transcript Jell-O - East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Jell-O
Dominique Washington
Humble Origins
• Peter Cooper, inventor of the Tom
Thumb steam locomotive and founder of
Cooper Union College, took out the first U.S.
patent for a gelatin dessert in 1845.
What is Jell-O
• Jell-O is sweetened, flavored, and colored gelatin.
• Gelatin is processed collagen. Collagen is a structural protein in
animals' connective tissue, skin, and bones. Collagen is composed
of glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline, as well as other amino
acids.
• Collagen is composed of three polypeptide chains that are wound
together into a triple helix and held together by hydrogen bonding.
• Gelatin molecules form pockets that trap large amounts of liquid,
resulting in a semisolid colloid. All colloids have a disperse phase
and a continuous phase; that is, one substance is dispersed
throughout another substance. In Jell-O, the disperse phase is solid
gelatin and the continuous phase is water. Gelatin can absorb a
tremendous amount of water up to 10 times its weight.
Collagen
This picture shows collagen's triple helix and it's structural formulaWhen Boiled This is Destroyed In a Crazy Explosion of Love and Passion
Between the Burning Water and Collagen's Structure
How Is Jell-O Made?
• Gelatin is composed of pork skin, cattle bones, and
cattle hide. These materials are washed, soaked in
acid or lime, and washed again several times. Then
the materials are boiled several times to extract the
gelatin. The gelatin is filtered, concentrated, chilled,
and either cut into ribbons or extruded as noodles
and dried. Once dried, the gelatin is ground into the
required particle size, depending on its intended use.
The final product is brittle, transparent, colorless,
tasteless, and odorless.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXznxMob8zA
Other Uses of Gelatin
• Gelatin is used primarily in the food, pharmaceutical,
and photographic industries.
• Most of the gelatin produced is consumed in gelatin
desserts and confections such as marshmallows and
gummy candies. It's also used as an emulsifier,
stabilizer, or thickener in foods such as ice cream, sour
cream, meat aspics, and cake frostings.
In the pharmaceutical industry, gelatin is used to
make the outer shells for hard and soft capsules;
Gelatin is also used in preparing the silver halide
emulsions in the production of photographic paper
and film.
Interesting Facts About Jell-O
• Gelatin served as a blood plasma substitute during World
War II.
• As immigrants passed through Ellis Island, they were often
served a bowl of Jell-O as a "Welcome to America" treat.
• When hooked up to an electroencephalograph machine-an instrument that records the electrical activity of the
brain--Jell-O demonstrates movement virtually identical
to the brain waves of a healthy adult man or woman.
• Gelatin is an incomplete nutritional protein because it
lacks tryptophan, an essential amino acid. Jell-O itself has
little nutritional value apart from energy 80 calories for a
typical serving.
Questions?