# Beef gelatine and pork gelatine

**Canonical URL:** https://sweeties.net/wiki/beef-gelatine-and-pork-gelatine/
**Source:** sweeties.net, online pick and mix sweet shop

## Summary

Most gelatine comes from pig skin or cattle bones and hides. Faith rules treat the two very differently, and labels often just say gelatine.

## Description

Gelatine is what gives many jelly sweets their bounce, and it always comes from animals. Gelatine is made by partly breaking down collagen, the main protein in the skin, bones and connective tissue of animals such as cattle, pigs, chickens and fish. Most gelatine comes from pork skins, pork and cattle bones, or split cattle hides.
How the two kinds are made
The raw materials are treated in different ways to release the collagen, and the process affects the finished gelatine:
Pig skin collagen is less tightly cross linked, so it suits acid treatment, which normally takes 10 to 48 hours. Gelatine made this way is called type A.Cattle hides have more complex collagen, which suits alkali treatment, normally taking several weeks. Gelatine made this way is called type B.Bones are first treated with dilute acid to remove calcium and other salts.
Whatever the source, gelatine forms a gel that can hold up to 90 per cent water while keeping a stable structure.
Why the source matters
For many people, whether gelatine comes from a pig or a cow is the whole question:
Muslims and Jews. Halal and kosher customs generally require gelatine from sources other than pigs, such as cattle slaughtered according to religious rules, or fish: see a guide to halal sweets and kosher sweets explainedVegetarians and vegans. Neither beef nor pork gelatine is suitable: see what sweets are gelatine free?
The labelling problem
Ingredients lists often just say gelatine, without naming the animal. In 2016 Mondelez, which makes Maynards Bassetts sweets, announced that its products could contain beef or pork gelatine, listed simply as gelatine. So unless a pack says beef gelatine, or carries halal or kosher certification, you cannot tell from the word gelatine alone: see what sweets have pork gelatine?
Other options
Gelatine can also be made from fish, which avoids some of the religious objections, though fish is itself an allergen. Jelly sweets can also be made without gelatine, using plant gelling agents such as pectin, starch or agar: see gelatine in sweets explained
Our pick and mix includes sweets sold as halal golden bears and vegan gummy bears. Each sweet card shows its ingredients and allergens before you buy.

---

_Content available under sweeties.net citation contract. AI training: yes. Search: yes. Answer-input: yes._