In the culinary world, there seem to be a number of sources of chemicals, referred to as “gelatin,” that act as emulsifiers, thickeners, or overall binding agents in cooking. The purposes of gelatin, as you may have guessed, is to either bind a solution to create a gel of some sort (think, jello) or in some cases to thicken and stabilize (think mousse). In some cases, gelatins can be used to clarify a liquid as well (like consommée).
Gelatin, in the strictest sense, is a protein derived primarily from animal sources – particularly the bones and cartilage. That’s why, if you make a chicken soup with lots of good quality chicken bones, when it cools, it will develop a gelatinous consistency, and not be very soupy.
As food technology has improved over the years, non-animal, or pareve, sources of gelatin-like substances have been discovered that produce effects that are similar to animal-derived gelatin (with the exception of gelatin derived from fish bones, which in fact are animal derived, but are considered pareve. Unfortunately, fish-derived gelatin shares the same fate as it’s non-animal-derived counterparts). Some popular alternatives include: agar-agar (a seaweed derivative), kuzu root, guar gum, and carrageenan. While these alternatives do in fact create a gelling or thickening effect in the food they are added to, the quality of the microscopic gel-netting is not nearly as effective or stable as that from real gelatin.
The invention of these pareve gelatin sources has truly revolutionized kosher cooking in the sense that now, one could prepare foods that were typically dairy or pareve (chocolate mousse or fruit jello, for example), and not have the problem of making it a meat or fleishig dish, nor would it have the problem of mixing dairy and meat products together. The only major down-side is that the quality of the gelatin would be poor.
For years, the kosher world has had to settle for these alternatives. However, a company called Glatech Productions, based in Lakewood, NJ, has found a way to derive gelatin from kosher animals, and still have it certified as kosher (by the OU – the Orthodox Union – no less) and pareve, despite it’s non-fish source. This is particularly amazing, because now one could use actual non-fish, animal-derived gelatin for use in all the applications one would need to use gelatin without the fear of converting the dish into a meat one, or in violation of mixing dairy and meat products.
The Glatech gelatin, called Kolatin®, is a bovine-hide derived gelatin. The loophole here, is that the collagen used to make the gelatin comes from the hide, or skin, of the cow, and not from the flesh or bones. This is significant, in the sense that the cow skin is halachically (according to Jewish Law) not considered meat or dairy, rather, it is deemed pareve. I am unclear as to the actual specifics of the halacha, but as it was explained to me, the skin was traditionally used in the preparation of klaf (the scrolls of the Torah were written on dried animal skins, and not paper, this is referred to as klaf). Klaf is not considered to be meat nor is it considered to be dairy, and therefore, does not bear any of the meat/dairy restrictions. Therefore, the collagen that is processed from the hides of the bovine-sources is considered to be pareve.
More information about Glatech Productions, and their kosher gelatin, Kolatin®, may be found on their website at: http://www.koshergelatin.com/