Gelling agents: types and description, use in cooking, tips

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Almost every housewife is familiar with such a product as jelly. It is obtained by special culinary processing of gelling products. They can be used not only in cooking, but also in cosmetology. Consider what gelling agents are, what they consist of, why they are used.

General information

These products are classified as food supplements. Their main property is to change the texture of the product. Most often they are used in confectionery and cooking.

Scientifically, these supplements are high molecular weight chains. Their individual molecules are long threads with electric charges at the ends. As the temperature decreases, they enter into intermolecular bonds. Then the formed molecules create a framework inside the liquid. As a result, it changes its texture (the consistency becomes denser).

Below we will tell you what gelling agents are, assortment, properties, application.

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These products are divided into two types - vegetable and animal origin. They include allfamous gelatin, pectin, agar-agar and others.

The most popular and beloved confectionery products would never have received such wide popularity if not for these additives. They are part of jelly, marmalade, various creams and yogurts, marshmallows and other desserts.

Gelatin

The component refers to gelling substances of animal origin. It has a jelly-like consistency and consists of various animal protein components. Translated from Latin means "frozen". It is made by digesting bones, muscles, tendons and other tissues that contain protein.

Types of gelatin:

1. The highest grade of the product is gelatin in the form of the thinnest transparent leaves or plates no more than 2 mm thick. They swell rapidly at 35-37°C and completely dissolve at 45°C.
2. Lower quality gelatin comes in the form of yellow granules or grains. It takes much longer to prepare it, from 30-40 minutes. In addition, the cooking process itself requires a little more effort.
3. Good quality gelatin has neither taste nor smell. The second-rate product has a slight taste and smell, similar to meat. Such gelatin is highly undesirable to use as a gelling agent used in the preparation of sweet dishes and confectionery.

The benefits and harms of gelatin

This product found its application many centuries ago. For example,the ancient Greeks stored meat with it, making a kind of canned food. Starting from the 15th century, chefs who were able to create whole jelly compositions in the form of palace complexes were in special esteem. In European countries, gelatin was obtained from deer antlers. However, this process was very time consuming and required special skills. In the 19th century, gelatin began to be produced at large enterprises. In Japan, it was made from fish membranes, in America - from pig tissues, in European countries - from the bones of cattle.

Gelatin is widely used in a variety of fields: pharmaceuticals, food industry, medicine, cosmetology, cooking and as a gelling agent for jam.

The benefit of gelatin is that it contains amino acids and proteins necessary for a person. In addition, the course of taking gelatin powder has a positive effect on the body:

• Improves joint mobility and also strengthens muscles.
• Saturates the brain with trace elements and increases its efficiency.
• Good for the nervous system.
• Maintains the balance of substances in the body.

There is no harm from gelatin. However, it should be used with caution by people suffering from diseases:

• Kidney.
• Hemorrhoids.
• Atherosclerosis.
• Thrombosis.

Agar-agar

The product belongs to herbal supplements. It is obtained by long-term digestion of gelling substances fromalgae. Then the resulting mass is filtered and dried.

Produce this component in stages. First, the algae are thoroughly washed, then treated with various alkalis and washed again. After that, proceed to cooking and filtering. Then the substance is subjected to drying and pressing. The final stage is the grinding of the product.

Agar-agar is often used as a vegetable substitute for gelatin as a gelling agent in cooking. It is noteworthy that the idea of using the substance was submitted by the wife of the famous microbiologist W alter Hesse. Later, he described the gelling properties of algae and became famous in scientific circles.

This additive has the strongest gelling properties and is used in cooking on an industrial scale. The basis is the extracted red or brown algae of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Black Sea.

Features and Benefits

Features of this product:

• Speed and strength gelling.
• Virtually no taste or smell.
• Completely dissolves in warm water.

Agar-agar is produced in two grades - the highest (has a light color) and the first grade (from rich yellow to brown). The best quality supplement is made in China. Its gelling power is 1 in 300. It is used as a gelling agent for jams and confectionery.

Use of this product:

• Saturated with vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
• No calories.
• Lowers cholesterol levels.
• Improves bowel function and supports microflora.
• Reduces acidity.
• Cleanses the body of toxins and toxins.

If you consume agar-agar in an amount of more than four grams per day, diarrhea and pain in the intestines are possible. You need to remember this and follow the dosage.

Pectin

The discoverer of this gelling substance is Henri Braccono, a French chemist who isolated pectin from plum juice. However, our contemporaries, while studying the manuscripts of the ancient Egyptians, came across a description of “fruit ice”, which does not melt. This information is considered the first fact of the use of pectin.

In ancient Greek, pectin means "coagulated". It is found in most fruits, certain types of vegetables and algae. Pectin retains moisture, increases the shelf life of products.

The daily dose of pectin necessary for he alth is 15-25g, which corresponds to 1.5-2.5 kg of fruit. It is clear that not everyone can eat so many fruits, so you can make up for the deficiency with the help of pectin-containing preparations. It is noteworthy that pectin fights well with excess weight if you eat it two hundred to three hundred grams a day.

Today mass production of pectin has been established. For those who are interested in what gelling agent is put in jam, it is useful to know that pectin is widely used in the manufacture of sports, dietary and medical nutrition. It is issued in the formpowder for kissels, jams and juices. Pectin is also available in liquid form. This product is used for cooking.

Raw materials for the production of pectin are citrus peel, apple and sugar beet pulp, sunflower baskets. From twenty tons of apple pomace, one ton of pectin is obtained.

Benefits of pectin

In addition to the use of this product in cooking, it is used in medicine. After numerous studies, its ability to influence cancer cells has been revealed.

Cancer is one of the most feared diseases of this generation. Scientists around the world are trying to find a vaccine against it, and ordinary people are using traditional medicine. Pectin deserves special attention here.

Cancer cells tend to connect, so tumors increase, and metastases spread throughout the body. The Gal3 protein found in the body connects malignant and he althy cells, thus helping cancer to develop. In turn, pectin blocks Gal3 and fights metastases. To prevent cancer, you need to eat more foods containing he althy pectin.

Here are some of them:

• Mid-latitude fruits - apples, pears, apricots, plums.
• Southern fruits - peaches, figs, bananas, melons, mangoes, pineapples.
• Berries - blueberries, strawberries, dates.
• Vegetables - carrots, beets.

Pectin benefits:

• Safely removes heavy metals and radioactive elements from the body.
• Fights microbes, promotes the development of beneficialintestinal microflora.
• Reduces blood sugar levels.
• Prevents constipation.
• Saturates the body with useful substances.
• Helps you lose weight.

Starch

The substance is a white powder, odorless and tasteless. Reacts with water to form a sticky substance. In some plants, the highest concentration of starch is found in leaves and stems, in others - in fruits and seeds. In nature, starch molecules can be broken down into sugars, thus nourishing the plant. The same thing happens in our body.

Contains vegetable starch in grains and legumes, potatoes, bananas and other plants. It is used as a gelling agent for jams, jelly.

Benefits of starch:

• Feeds beneficial gut micro-organisms.
• Prevents the absorption of toxic substances.
• Helps with indigestion.
• Reduces inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Combats constipation and diarrhea.

The most popular starch is potato, but corn, tapioca, rice and wheat are also produced. In food production, corn starch is used. It has a number of advantages over other types - the complete absence of color, taste and smell, it can be frozen and heated countless times.

There is a refined starch obtained by modifying vegetable starch. Refined starch is harddigested by the body and can cause he alth problems:

• Promotes the development of atherosclerosis.
• Causes indigestion and flatulence.
• Increases insulin levels.
• Deteriorates vision.
• Causes nausea and vomiting.
• Deteriorates the condition of blood vessels.

Starch is used not only in food production, but also in light industry (textile and paper).

Carrageenan

This gelling agent is most often used in animal feed. Its main purpose is to retain moisture and change the substance from the original to a jelly-like one. Carrageenan does not provide any benefit or nutritional power. It is obtained by the synthesis of red algae and is divided into 3 groups:

1. Kappa-carrageenan. It has the strongest gelling properties and is used in the production of animal feed and meat products.
2. Yotta-carrageenan. Characterized by less pronounced gelling properties, used in the production of suspensions.
3. Lambda carrageenan. Does not apply to gelling components.

Guar gum (E412)

The substance is produced by processing the seeds of guar beans. It is an instant white powder that inhibits the process of ice crystallization.

Benefits of Guar Gum:

• Hypoallergenic.
• Reduces cholesterol.
• Decreases appetite.
• Removes toxins.

Guar gum is part of dietary supplements for weight loss. With uncontrolled and excessive use, cases are likelylethal outcome. The supplement is not a prohibited ingredient but should be used in small doses

E412 is part of dairy products, various juices, jellies and jams, bakery products. In meat products it is used as a stabilizer. Guar gum is also used in the coal industry, in the production of paper and textiles.

Use in cosmetology

No less often gelling agents are used in cosmetic products.

Because pectin has a bactericidal effect, it is used in the manufacture of ointments and creams with antibacterial action.

Gelatin is often included in styling products for hair, as well as creams with a restorative effect.

Agar-agar is added to anti-aging skin care products.

Masks and creams with starch perfectly nourish and moisturize the skin.