Kosher animal products

As gelatine is an animal product it is unacceptable to vegetarians. Some religious groups have problems with gelatine. Kosher gelatine is available. Gelatine made from fish has recently become commercially available. 

The definition of kosher dairy means milk and any milk products, like cheese or butter. The kosher dairy product must come from a kosher species of animal in order to be considered kosher. Any milk derivative, like casein or butter distillate, is considered dairy when used in kosher foods, but may not be required to be claimed as dairy by the FDA. 

Animal products themselves, such as chicken fat or beef gelatin, must be ordered and stored as Kosher products. Even a droplet of chicken fat will mean that your flavor will be called a Kosher meat product. Consider this when developing a good butter flavor for baked goods - this meat designation will follow your flavor all the way to the shelves of the local supermarket. 

Some emulsifiers, e.g. lecithin, are purely natural products whereas others are manufactured usually from natural materials. Typical materials for manufactured emulsifiers are vegetable oils, e.g. soya bean oil or palm oil animal fats, e.g. lard or tallow and glycerol. Where required, some manufacturers can supply products with kosher or halal certificates. Other raw materials are organic acids such as fatty acids, citric acid, acetic acid and tartaric acid, in addition to sorbitol and propylene glycol. 

Gelatine can be produced from the skin and bones of beef animals (and the skin of pork). If produced from kosher-slaughtered beef and subsequently handled in an appropriately kosher fashion, the product would be kosher. Bones and skins are considered pareve or neutral therefore, gelatine can be used with meat or dairy products. 

Emulsifiers and other functional ingredients, such as sodium or magnesium stearate, mono- and diglycerides, glycerol, polysorbates, and monostearates, can be derived from plant or animal sources. Products of animal origin may only be used if derived from kosher slaughtered beef animals etc. Therefore it is recommended to use synthetic products. 

Hydrolysed (Enzyme-Digested) Protein are often used as flavouring components and/or functional ingredients in many food products. The use of dairy proteins as a source of hydrolysed protein would define any kosher product using this ingredient as dairy. Hydrolysed proteins from animal sources would have to be produced as kosher to be acceptable. Only hydrolysed protein of plant origin can be used without any problems. 

Animals have to be slaughtered before being fit for hiunan consumption, the slaughtering processes are regulated by different rules for each religion. Muslims may eat kosher meat but Jews not halal one. Furthermore, according to kosher dietary laws meat and dairy products must be eaten separately. 

Foods made from meat or meat by-products are in this category. Only meats from kosher species of animals or fowl are permitted and only if slaughtered under kosher guidelines. In order for an animal to be kosher it must chew its cud and have a split hoof. For example, a pig has a split hoof, but does not chew its cud. A camel chews its cud, but does not have a split hoof. Kosher species include cattle, sheep, chicken and turkey. Following a ritual slaughter by a... 

The environmental benefits are (1) cheese makers are no longer dependent upon enzymes recovered from slaughtered calves and lambs for production of rennet needed for most cheese making processes, and (2) based on current demands for chymosin, commercial needs for rennet could not be met from animal sources. The consumer benefits are (1) plentiful, consistently high quality enzyme chymosin is available at low prices that help assure availability of excellent cheeses at a reasonable cost and (2) people who follow kosher and vegetarian eating practices can consume cheese since the enzyme is from a microbe and not a calf. 

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