Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, and tasteless food ingredient that is commonly obtained from collagen in animal body parts. When dry it is brittle and when wet it is rubbery. Gelatin is a protein-rich ingredient that can improve the taste, texture, and nutritional value of foods. Gelatin is a product made by boiling collagen. It is made almost entirely of protein and its unique amino acid profile offers many health benefits. However, veg gelatin also exists. There is a product called “agar-agar” that is sometimes marketed as “gelatin,” but it is vegan. It is derived from a type of seaweed. Gelatin veg or nonveg, we all love our Jell-O. Jell-O is "America's favorite dessert," like a 1904 ad campaign paid for by Jell-O.
- How did Jell-O get its name?
In 1845 Peter Cooper tested and patented a product that was "set" with gelatin. Suffice it to say, it never "worked" with the American public. He experimented with gelatin and developed a fruit-flavored dessert that his wife called May Jell-O.
- The history behind Flavours of Jell-O
The inventor of JellO discovered the first successful gelatin dessert recipe partly because of his parallel work as a manufacturer of patented drugs. These included drugs such as cough syrups and laxatives while being a carpenter by trade. In 1897, Pearle B. Wait, a resident of LeRoy, in New York, and his wife May added flavors of strawberry, raspberry, orange, and lemon, presumably because they were already available in Pearle's medicinal concoctions, and the original four flavors were born.
- SUGARY DELIGHT!
Gelatin without the fruit flavor is a translucent and tasteless mass and it takes a lot to change the taste. Waits' delicious dessert required 88 percent sugar to become palatable, putting it as far removed from the realm of medicine as possible.
- Sheer Will Power
Dull early sales could have sounded the death knell for JellO. After more than a year of trying to sell JellO door to door, Pearle Wait gave up. The disheartened inventor sold his brand and recipe to neighbor Orator Frank Woodward for just $450. When Woodward's initial luck was as bad as Wait's, he unsuccessfully tried to sell the company for $35. Luckily for JellO fans, Unwilling to let his investment on that good night slow, Woodward launched an aggressive marketing campaign that included photo ads in Ladies Home Journal, well-dressed salespeople offering free samples, and cookbooks for both housewives and the military. His efforts paid off and his Genesee Pure Food Company eventually became the JellO Company.
- The second full week of February is International Jell-O Week!
For more articles on food Marketing, agrotech, and technology related to the Indian food industry, check out FMTmagazine. FMT Magazine is an edition of the German publication. It is a comprehensive food and beverage magazine that connects the buyers and the sellers through content that is of international quality. The magazine over the entire spectrum of the food industry including content on policies. FMT Magazine stands for Food Marketing & Technology Magazine. The magazine carries articles on ingredients, processing, packaging, food safety, and marketing, along with interviews with top personalities in the Indian food industry.
