It's pretty easy to guess what most of your food is made of. The meat in your hamburger probably came from a cow, the bun was
made from grain, the ketchup from tomatoes, and so on. There is
one kind of food, however, that might have you guessing animal,
vegetable or mineral for the whole meal. But no more, since we'll learn about Jello on today's Moment of Science7.
Jello is a trademark name for gelatin, a food that people
have enjoyed for generations. To answer the question animal,
vegetable, or mineral: gelatin is an animal product. It is
prepared by soaking the bones, skin, or connective tissue from
pigs or cows in a bath of mild hydrochloric acid solution. After
this, the animal products are heated in distilled water for many
hours, and finally boiled. The fluid that collects from this
process is drawn off. What's left is dried, and ground into a fine, pale yellow...
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