Scientists are reporting development of a new approach for producing large
quantities of human-derived gelatin that could become a substitute for some of
the 300,000 tons of animal-based gelatin produced annually for gelatin-type
desserts, marshmallows, candy, and innumerable other products. Their study
appears in ACS’s Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.
Jinchun Chen and colleagues explain that animal-based gelatin, which is made
most often from the bones and skin of cows and pigs, may carry a risk of
infectious diseases such as “Mad Cow” disease and could provoke immune system
responses in some people. Animal-based gelatin has other drawbacks, with
variability from batch to batch, for instance, creating difficulties for
manufacturers. Scientists thus have sought alternatives, including development
of a human-recombinant gelatin for potential use in drug capsules and other
medical applications.
To get around these difficulties, the scientists developed and demonstrated
a method where human gelatin genes are inserted into a strain of yeast, which
can produce gelatin with controllable features. The researchers are still
testing the human-yeast gelatin to see how well it compares to other gelatins
in terms of its viscosity and other attributes. Chen and colleagues suggest
that their method could be scaled up to produce large amounts of gelatin for
commercial use.
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