Gelatine

Gelatine, also known as edible gelatine, describes an animal binding agent, which is mainly made from pork, beef or fish.

Gelatin consists of the protein collagen, which can be found in the skin, bones and cartilage of animals and makes up about 60% of all proteins in animals (Döndüren, 2010, p. 23; Yetim, 2011, p. 86; cf. Fetâvâ , 2015, p. 69). These are boiled for a long time and then treated with acid. The finished gelatine consists of about 86% collagen, 11% water and the remaining 3% contains minerals. Since plants do not contain collagen, it is not possible to produce vegetable gelatine. For example, the gelatine ingredient can always be assumed to be of animal origin. Furthermore, gelatin used to be listed with the E number E441, but this is no longer the case today, since it is no longer recognized as a food additive, but as an ingredient like sugar or flour and is only given with its own name (Simsek , 2010, pp. 237-243; Simsek, 2012, pp. 70-71; Kücüköner, (n.a.); Boran, 2011, p. 100; cf. Cayiroglu, 2014, p. 347).

Manufacturing 

For the first time, the bones or animal skins required for production are collected and cleaned of all residues, except collagen, with the help of acids. Through this procedure, the collagen is extracted from the bone or skin. Further physical and chemical methods such as heat treatment, filtration, sterilization, evaporation, drying and crushing prepare the gelatin for consumption (Boran, 2011, pp. 98-100; Yetim, 2011, p. 86; Simsek, 2012, p. 75; Sakr/Büyüközer, 2011a, pp. 27-28, 75-60; Büyüközer, 2011b, pp. 65-68; cf. Cayiroglu, 2014, p. 346).

 

Usage 

Gelatine is used in several areas due to its multifunctionality. In the food industry, it is often found as a binder and gelling agent in jellies, puddings, cakes, cream cheese, confectionery or to clarify fruit juices or wine. About 20 grams of gelatine are enough to gel 1 liter of liquid. But it is also often used in the photo industry, cosmetics, pharmaceutical industry for medicines, printing or in fertilizers.
The gelatine used in Europe is made from 80% pork rind, around 10% beef and the remaining 10% bone or fish. It should be noted that the production of gelatine is steadily increasing worldwide (GME, 2016; Cayiroglu, 2014, p. 349)

 

Is Gelatin Halal? Does Gelatin Undergo a Complete Change of State (Istihala)?

During the processing of collagen into gelatine, it undergoes several physical and chemical processes, so that some chemical changes can be observed in the starting material (collagen) (Yetim, 2011, pp. 88-90; cf. Cayiroglu, 2014, pp. 349-350). ). Opinions differ, however, both on the question of the animal species from which the gelatine is obtained and on the assessment of the Istihala, whether a complete change in the state of the gelatine can be determined or not. There are three different views on these controversial aspects, which are explained in more detail below:

 

First View

As far as pork is established as the origin, the final product remains impure (haram) even if istihala has taken place. The main reason for this is that with pigs, not only is the meat itself forbidden, but all derivatives are forbidden and it is only permitted in a vital situation to eat just enough of it to be able to survive.  ^[1]  For this reason, a haram starting material also results in a product which is also classified as haram. Furthermore, there are now many alternatives such as agar-agar, locust bean gum or fish gelatine, so you are not obliged to use pork gelatine. On the contrary, one should prefer the alternatives and above all support this sector and work for other alternatives. Representatives of this view are, for example, the fiqh scholars of the first national congress for halal and health, the fatwa commission of Saudi Arabia (Fetâvâ Lecne ed-Dâime, p. 281; cf. Fetâvâ, 2015, p. 71), the international Islamic fiqh council Jeddas (the decision was made at the 1986 meeting in Amman) and contemporary scholars such as Wahba az-Zuhaili and Abdulfettah Idris (Fetâvâ, 2015, p. 71).

On the day of the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) announced the prohibition of intoxicants and dead meat, upon which the Sahaba asked the following question: "O Messenger of Allah, what do you think of the fat of dead animals used for the caulking of ships and for the lamps?" The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) strictly forbade the use of such greases. ^[2] This judgment also refers to the ban on the use of pork ingredients (Fetâvâ, 2015, p. 70).

 

 

Second View

There is no Istihala, so gelatine from non-halal slaughtered animals is haram. The amino acids that form collagen and gelatin differ by only 5%, because the amino acids of collagen do not form a new product, but are only subject to some changes (Simsek, 2012, pp. 70-71; cf. Cayiroglu , 2014, p. 351). This is confirmed by the fact that certain analyzes can sometimes detect DNA in gelatin, but sometimes not. The analysis results depend mainly on the quality of the product, which also causes disagreement among scholars (Özoguz, 2011, p. 57). For example, in early 2002, the accredited Halal certifier Halal-Control used the PCR method to analyze Haribo products and gummy bears from Penny Markt, which made it possible to detect pig DNA in the products (Halal-Control, 2002).
In his book "Jelatin" (2011, p. 53), Ahmed Sakr compares this process of converting collagen to gelatine as follows: "Let's take an egg, for example. By boiling this ice cream with water, it changes from a liquid form to a solid one. Thus, the physical and chemical properties change. But we can still recognize the white and yellow of the egg. This shows that the proteins in the egg white still contain the same amino acids. The only change that has taken place is that the hydrogen bonds have been restructured so that the liquid mass became a solid." (cf. Yükseloglu, 2014, p. 352). The representatives of this view like Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akgündüz (2008, pp. 36-37), Ahmed Abdürrezzak ed-Düveys (p. 260) and Prof. Dr. Hamdi Döndüren (2011, p. 114) therefore come to the conclusion that gelatine from non-halal slaughtered animals should be avoided, since in some cases only some changes occur, but some properties of the starting material are retained, so that a complete change of condition (istihala) cannot be guaranteed and the preference for vegetable gelling agents or gelatine from halal animals or fish is recommended (cf. Cayiroglu, 2014, p. 354f.).

 

Third View 

Istihala takes place so the gelatin can be considered halal. Chemists and pharmacists have confirmed that collagen is completely transformed into a new product (gelatine) (Hammad, 2003, p. 72; cf. Cayiroglu, 2014, p. 350). This process is comparable to the production of vinegar from wine, since here too a new product, namely vinegar, is produced from the wine (Zeyd, p. 252). In an analysis, it is not possible to find out from which animal the present gelatine was taken or even to decide the gelatine according to the origin of the various animal species (Hammad, 2003, p. 72; cf. Cayiroglu, p. 350).
The proponents of this view include mainly contemporary scholars such as Hayrettin Karaman (2014), Faruk Beser (2014) or Nezih Hammad (2011, p. 20f.), but also the participants of the 8th Medical Fiqh Session in Kuwait (22- May 24, 1995) such as Al-Azhar University, the Ministry of Health of Kuwait, the Regional World Health Organization from Alexandria (Egypt) and the Council of International Islamic Fiqh Jeddas (cf. Fetâvâ, 2015, p. 72f.). But also the European Council for Fatwa and Research (Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Mohammad Al Hawari)(Fetevâ Mecmûa el-Ûlâ, 1999, p. 70; cf. Fetâvâ, 2015, p. 73), the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh of India (2004) and most of the food technologists and pharmacists who reported in 2009 that gelatin, cheese and preservatives undergo a change and the haram substances are transformed into another product, hold the view that a complete change of state in gelatin takes place (Karaman, 2009).

 

Summary

In summary, according to some scholars (first view), pork gelatin is uniformly classified as haram, since all derivatives are considered impure and the use of any
en pork components is prohibited. However, opinions are divided on gelatine, which comes from a non-halal slaughtered animal. Since the question of whether a complete change of state applies or not brings different results and the result mainly depends on the quality of the product, it is recommended to use vegetable gelling agents or gelatine from fish or halal animals, as there are plenty of alternatives available nowadays stand. It is also important to mention that some halal certifiers also certify gelatine from non-halal slaughtered animals as halal, as they assume an Istihala (see third view). A detailed inquiry with the respective certifier can help in this regard to find out the exact criteria of the certification.

Individual Proofs

1.  "The dead is forbidden to you, as well as blood and swine, and that about which the name of someone other than Allah has been invoked; that which was strangled, that which was beaten to death, that which fell to death, or that which were pushed to death, and that which beasts of prey devoured, besides that which you slaughtered, and also that which was slaughtered on a pagan sacrificial stone, and also (it is forbidden to you) that you seek to explore destiny with loose arrows. This is an outrage" The Koran, 5:3
2.  Buhari, II, p. 779. Buharî Ebû Abdullah Muhammed b. Ismail: El-Câmiu's-
   Sahih. Dâru'l-kütübi'l-ilmiyye: Beirut, 1994

 

Reference

• Fetâvâ – IGMG Din Istisare Kurulu Arastirma ve Kararlari – I. Plural publications: Köln, 2015
• Cayiroglu Yüksel: Islâm Hukuku'na Göre Helâl Gida (Halal-Speise nach islamischen Richtlinien). Isik Yayinlari: Istanbul, 2014
• Özoguz Yavuz: Halal-Speise im deutschsprachigen Raum. M-haditec: 2011
• Sakr Ahmad, Büyüközer H. Kâmi: Jelâtin (Gelatine). Gimdes: Istanbul, 2011a
• Akgündüz Ahmet: Helâl Gida Meselesi ve Yasanan Problemler (Thematik zur Halal-Speise und dessen Probleme). In: 1. Ulusal Helâl Gida Konferansi, 2008
• Düveys Ahmed b. Abdüürrezzak: Fetâva'l-lecneti'd-dâimeti li'l-buhûsi'l-ilmiyyeti ve'l-iftâ. Dâru'l-müeyyide, Riad, 1424
• Döndüren Hamdi: Gida Katki Maddeleri ve Istihlâk (Zusatzstoffe und Istihlak). In: 1. Ulusal Helal ve Saglikli Gida Kongresi Kitabi. Ankara, 2011
• Ebû Zeyd Cümane Muhammed Abdürrezzak: El-Intifa' bi'l-a'yani'l-muharreme mine'l-et'ime ve'l-esribe ve'l-elbise. Master-Arbeit. Darü'n-nefâis, Amman, 2005
• GME (Gelatine Manufacturers of Europe): Fragen und Antworten der Gelatine Industurie, 2016
• Halal-Control: Ist herkömmliche Gelatine halal?, 2002
• Karaman Hayrettin: Helal Gida Meselesi, 2009