Croda Healthcare, a division of UK speciality chemicals company Croda Oleochemicals, this week launched a new range of fish-derived gelatins for pharmaceutical and edible applications.
Produced from edible fish, the company's Fish Gelatins claim to offer all the functionality of traditional bovine gelatins but from a non-mammalian source. The company stressed in a statement that the new line introduction is in response to current consumer issues. Food safety fears, not least the BSE crisis, have increased market interest in alternative sources of gelatin.
Croda's Fish Gelatins are targeted primarily at soft and hard shell capsule manufacturers, tablet binders and microencapsulators, and are also recommended in functional and consumer foods.
Both gelling and non-gelling grades are available in a range of bloom strengths. The Fish Gelatins possess a low odour and neutral taste; pharmaceutical grades comply with European, US and Japanese pharmacopoeia.
Should the food formulator and processor desire, the company has produced a new booklet on gelatin, Gelfax, which provides comprehensive technical data on all aspects of gelatin manufacture and use.
In 2001 Croda Oleochemicals had sales of £261m (€405.6m) with a trading profit of £37.7m.