QUESTION

Is Jell-O really make from horse hoofs?

ANSWER

Well, that’s we thought on the farm. If one of our 3 horses, Dolly, Prince, or Lightning, was not moving fast enough, that equine would receive the warning “we’ll send you to the Jello-O factory”  or “you’re off to the glue factory”. The horse paid no attention!

Jello-O is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods. Jello-O is about 87 percent sugar and 10 percent gelatin, with a tad of flavoring and coloring. The gelatin, the stuff that causes the wiggling, actually does come from pig skins, cattle bones, and cattle hides. Not to worry- it has all been cleaned up.

The skin, connective tissue, and bones of animals have a fibrous protein named collagen. When the collagen is treated with hot acid (type A) or alkali (type B), collagen turns into gelatin. The collagen is extracted into hot water, boiled down, and purified.

It is colorless, translucent, and brittle when dry. It melts into a liquid when warmed, and then turns into a solid when cooled. There is no collagen in hoofs.

Gelatin is widely used in foodstuffs, theatre lightning equipment, capsules in medicine, glues, photo paper, soft drinks, sandpaper, match heads, cosmetics, playing card, and glossy papers.

Foods that contains lots of gelatin include marshmallows, candies, gummy bears, jams, yogurt, cream cheese, and margarine.

Ammunition manufacturers and gun makers shoot into blocks of gelatin. Ballistic gelatin closely simulates muscle tissue. The shells of paintballs are made of gelatin, same stuff that drug capsules use. Serious swimmers use gelatin in their hair. The colder pool water will not dissolve the gelatin. Ever see those translucent windowpanes in gingerbread houses. They’re made of gelatin. Some athletes claim that gelatin relieves knee joint pain and stiffness.

Jell-O was invented by Pearly B. Waite in Leroy, New York.  Around 1900, immigrants landing  at Ellis Island in New York City were served Jell-O  as a “Welcome to America”  treat. Utah has named Lime Green Jell-O as their official state dessert. Kraft sells Cranberry Jell-O in November and December.