How is edible gelatin manufactured?

Beyond Biopharma · Edible Gelatin FAQ

Short answer: Edible gelatin is made by pretreating collagen-rich skins or bones, extracting the collagen with hot water in several stages, then purifying, concentrating, chilling to a gel, drying and milling. The pretreatment decides the type — acid treatment gives Type A, alkaline (liming) gives Type B — and the different extraction stages are blended to reach the target Bloom strength.

Step 1 — Raw material preparation

Only skins, hides and bones from animals passed for human consumption are used. Raw material is washed, cut to size and often degreased. For bovine material, controlled-origin, BSE/TSE-monitored supply chains are standard industry practice, and halal/kosher programs add their own slaughter and segregation requirements at this first stage.

Step 2 — Pretreatment (this decides Type A or Type B)

The connective tissue must be loosened so collagen can be extracted:

• Acid treatment → Type A gelatin. Short acid soak (hours to ~2 days), mainly used for porcine skin and increasingly for acid-processed bovine or fish skin. Faster process, typically higher clarity.
• Alkaline treatment (liming) → Type B gelatin. Skins or crushed bones are held in lime or dilute alkali for several weeks (commonly 1–2 months for bone). This deeply removes non-collagen material and is the classic route for bovine hide and bone.

The two routes change the electrical charge profile (isoelectric point) of the final gelatin — this is exactly what “Type A vs Type B” means on a specification sheet.

Step 3 — Extraction

Pretreated material is extracted with hot water in successive stages at rising temperatures (roughly 50–100 °C). Each stage dissolves a fraction of the collagen into solution, and each fraction has different properties: early extractions tend to be higher gel strength (Bloom) and lower viscosity; later, hotter extractions are lower Bloom but add yield. These are called extraction “cuts”.

Step 4 — Purification

• Filtration removes fats and suspended solids;
• Ion exchange removes salts and mineral traces;
• Evaporation / concentration raises the solids content;
• Sterilisation (heat, typically UHT or equivalent) makes the concentrated solution microbiologically safe;
• Clarification/polish filtration gives the clear, bright solution that later dries into clear sheets or powder.

Step 5 — Setting, drying and milling

The purified hot solution is chilled so it sets into a firm gel slab, then dried in a carefully controlled warm-air tunnel to a low moisture content (food-grade gelatin is typically dried to about 10–14 % moisture). The dried sheets are crushed and milled to the required particle size — coarse granules for some processes, fine powder for others — and screened to a tight mesh window.

Step 6 — Blending and quality control

Because single extraction cuts vary, manufacturers blend cuts to hit a precise specification: target Bloom, viscosity, pH, clarity and particle size. Every batch is tested before release, and the certificate of analysis states gel strength, viscosity, moisture, ash, pH, sulphur dioxide, heavy metals and microbiology — the same numbers you should see quoted back on your supplier’s COA.

Why the process matters to a buyer

• Type A vs Type B changes isoelectric point, and can affect behaviour in acidic products.
• Extraction and drying conditions affect colour, odour and gel clarity.
• Blending control is what makes a 250-Bloom gelatin behave the same way batch after batch.

Industry-typical finished ranges: edible gelatins are commonly supplied between about 80 and 300 Bloom, with moisture ≤ ~14 %, protein ≥ ~85 % on dry basis, and food-grade micro/heavy-metal limits per national standards. Final numbers always come from the lot COA.

Learn more

Related: what edible gelatin is made from, what Bloom strength means, and the production route differences in bovine, porcine and fish gelatin pages.