Solubility

Gelatin is relatively insoluble in cold water but hydrates readily in hot water. When added to cold water gelatin granules swell by absorbing 5-10 times their weight in water. Raising the temperature above 40 °C dissolves the swollen gelatin particles forming a solution, which gels upon cooling to the setting point.

The speed of dissolving is determined by dissolving equipment in combination with water temperature, gelatin concentration and particle size. Gelatin is insoluble in alcohol and most other organic solvents.

Dissolving gelatin can be done in different ways:

• Cold water swelling

• Hot water swelling

• Dissolving by pasteurisation during processing

Gelatin is swollen in cold water for a pre-determined time, depending on its particle size. The swollen particles are then added to a hot mass, a sugar/glucose mixture for example, in which the swollen particles immediately dissolve. Gelatins are most commonly supplied in a particle size ranging from 8 to 50 Mesh. PB Gelatins also supplies gelatins with extremely fine particle sizes. The mesh size of the gelatin is determined by the application and the equipment used for dissolving it. The coarser the particles, the longer it takes for them to become swollen and to dissolve completely.

This is a more popular method to prepare highly concentrated gelatin solutions. The gelatin solution can be obtained in a relatively short time, depending on the particle size and water temperature. The finer the particle size, the higher the agitation
system's dispersion capacity needs to be while avoiding excessive air entrapment.

This procedure is particularly popular in the dairy industry. Fine mesh gelatin is dispersed in the milk, together with other  ingredients. The swollen particles will completely dissolve during the subsequent heating stage.

PB Gelatins / PB Leiner has several mesh sizes available to meet your application requirement and also offers cold soluble gelatins for which our company is a market leader. Consult our technical experts to select the best product for your application.