The Properties of Jell-o
Inspiration for Project
• After accidental leaving my Jell-o snack in my
hot car at work it completely liquefied. In order
to make it solidify again I put it in the refrigerator.
However, it was taking too long, so I put it in the
freezer and forgot about. When I came back it
was completely frozen, so I put it back in my car
to thaw out. The next day it was thawed enough
to eat, and when I did, I found that it was really
grainy, not smooth like Jell-o should be.
Experiment Procedure
• In our experiment we explored the effects of freezing on
the grain structure of frozen Jell-o, plain gelatin, gelatin
with salt and gelatin with rubbing alcohol while they
thawed.
• In order to view the various grain structures of the given
gel mixtures, we made the specimens and formed them
in thin layers for viewing with a magnified digital camera.
• During the viewing, we took several pictures of each
specimen while they were melting, and then compared
these pictures in order to determine the effects of
freezing on the grain structures.
Pictures of Plain Gelatin
More Pictures of Plain Gelatin
Observations of Plain Gelatin
• When the plain gelatin was frozen, it
appeared to be somewhat grainy.
• When the plain gelatin was thawing out,
the grains seemed to become more
apparent.
• After the plain gelatin was completely
thawed out, its structure stayed in a solid
state (not melting into a liquid).
Pictures of Gelatin Mixed with Table
Salt
Observations of Gelatin Mixed with
Table Salt
• When the gelatin mixed with table salt was
frozen, it appeared to be very grainy.
• When the gelatin mixed with table salt was
thawing out, the grains seemed to become
less apparent.
• After the gelatin mixed with table salt was
completely thawed out, its structure melted
away into a liquid state.
Pictures of Gelatin Mixed with
Rubbing Alcohol
Observations of Gelatin Mixed with
Rubbing Alcohol
• When the gelatin mixed with rubbing alcohol
was frozen, it appeared to be moderately grainy
(less grainy than plain gelatin).
• When the gelatin mixed with rubbing alcohol
was thawing out, the grains seemed to remain
the same size.
• After the gelatin mixed with rubbing alcohol was
completely thawed out, its structure remained
the same.
Pictures of Pre-made Jell-o
More Pictures of Pre-made Jell-o
Even More Pictures of Pre-made
Jell-o
Observations of Pre-made Jell-o
• When the pre-made jell-o was frozen, it
appeared to be extremely grainy (the most
grainy out of all the samples).
• When the pre-made jell-o was thawing out, the
grains seemed to be breaking down into smaller
grains.
• After the pre-made jell-o was completely thawed
out, its structure seemed to completely break
down, except a few grainy pieces that would
probably also melt away if left for a longer period
of time.
What is Gelatin?
• According to Leiner Davis Gelatine, gelatin
is a protein derived by thermal
denaturation of collagen which is the most
common protein in the animal kingdom.
Type I collagen is a fibrous protein which
is the ground substance of skin and bone
and other collagens are also found in the
connective tissues like veins, arteries and
the alimentary canal.
Gel Research
• What makes jell-o firmer?
• The trick to jelling jell-o is nothing more than
having the proper ratio of gelatin to liquid. The
"standard" proportions used in jelling store
bought and pre-made jell-o is one small box (or
one Knox packet) for every 2 cups of liquid.
Decrease the liquid by a small fraction will make
it just a little firmer so that it will retain its shape
better when taking it out of the dish it was
formed in.
More Gel Research
• Will jell-o melt?
• As with all materials, if you get it hot enough it
will eventually melt. This holds true for plain
gelatin that if left long enough in a warm room, it
would eventually liquefy. If the jell-o (made with
gelatin) is made extra firm it will eventually
liquefy, but it will take longer. If one uses Israeli
or other vegetable jelly mixes, the jell-o may stay
solid at room temperature.
Even More Gel Research
• Will jell-o freeze?
• Yes, of course jell-o can freeze. When
cooling it in a freezer instead of a
refrigerator only speeds up the jelling
process. Once the jell-o is firm, it begins
to form a frost on the surface and when it
is completely frozen it is crunchy, much
like a popsicle.
Conclusion
• The pre-made jell-o that was store bought had a
different concentration of gelatin in it and was
less firm than the plain gelatin and mixed gelatin
samples, which indicates that it contained less
gelatin than did the mixed gelatin samples.
• The amount of gelatin in the jell-o mix samples
played a big role in how grainy the sample
became when it was frozen. The more
impurities (and thus less gelatin) were in the
mixture, the more grainy the jell-o mix became.
References
• the Jellomaniac's Manual
http://www.bostonbaden.com/hazel/Jello/jell
o5b.html
• GELATINE: ITS PROPERTIES AND ITS APPLICATIONS
IN DAIRY PRODUCTS. Leiner Davis Gelatine SA (Pty)
Ltd
http://www.gelatin.co.za/dairy.htm