~tasha~
Age: 124
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United Kingdom, United Kingdom
1. ALCOHOL AND FERMENTED FOOD PRODUCTS:
Alcohol is widely used as a carrier in many food flavors. This alcohol will evaporate if used in baked or heat treated products. Some Islamic scholars consider a food product Halal if it is made with all Halal ingredients including food flavor containing alcohol as a carrier which will evaporate during food processing. But other Islamic scholars do not
consider such products as Halal.
MAJOR TYPE OF FERMENTED MILK PRODUCTS:
Type Nature of Fermentation
Kefir Acid and Alcohol
Koumiss ; Acid and Alcohol
Yogurt Medium
Cultured Buttermilk Low Acid
Cultured Cream Low Acid
Leben & Dahi Medium Acid
Cheese Acid, Diacetyle, Propionic Acid & CO2
Pickles from cucumber and sauerkraut from cabbage are made by salting (brining). No alcohol is produced during the processing of these products. However, when flavors are added, those flavors may or may not contain alcohol as a carrier.
2. CHEESES AND ITS HALAL STATUS
The following things have to be Halal in order for a cheese to be considered Halal:
a. Ingredients used to make the Mother Culture growth Media
b. Ingredients used to make the Bulk Culture growth Media
c. Milk Coagulating Enzyme, such as Microbial rennet used to coagulate milk or Rennet obtained from Zabiha slaughtered calves
d. Fat Hydrolyzing Enzyme, such as Microbial Lipases
e. Dairy ingredients such as Non Fat dry milk solid or cream or dry milk added
f. Artificial color such as artificial blue or green color is added to neutralize natural yellow color in curd for Asiago or Blue cheese
g. Media to grow mold Penicillium roquefortti providing blue color in blue cheese
h. Harmless plant based enzyme is added for curing or flavor development and growth media for biological curing agent used on the surface of Brick cheese
i. Flavoring, hydrolyzed lactose, whey for cold packed cheese food, gelatin is allowed in cream cheese but most manufacturer use gums instead of gelatin
3. THE FOOD FLAVORS
The food flavor of a food substance is the combined sensation of the taste and odor as perceived by the eater or drinker of that substance. The food flavorings are available to the food industry producer as solids, liquids, and paste. The food flavoring is man made and they are compounded from natural and/or synthetic aromatic substances which may or not be found in nature. Flavors may be a mixture of any flavors or flavoring ingredients
such as Process Flavors, Hydrolysates, Fat Flavors, Autolysates, Enzyme Modified Flavor with addition of carriers, antioxidants, solvents and flavor enhancers.
The impact of natural flavors on Halal food products can be best described in McDonald's French Fries and Hash Browns. The raw French fries and hash brown are made with Natural flavor as indicated on their ingredients list. But no body know except the suppliers and McDonald that the natural flavor is made of Non-Zabiha beef extract. Muslims should be very care full of following flavors in meat cheese related products such as meat Loaf
seasoning, gravies and process cheese products.
a. Meat, Savory Flavors and Extracts:
The McDonald raw French fries and Hash Brown are made with a food flavor containing Non-Zabiha beef extract.
b. Dairy Flavors containing animal enzymes.
c. Alcohol as an ingredient and Carrier in flavors
4. Cultured Lipolyzed Cream:
Cultured lipolyzed Cream is considered Halal if the culture media which is used to grow cultures is made from Halal ingredients. The use of microbial Lipase enzyme is the second requirement for cultured lipolyzed cream to be considered Halal. Cultured Lipolyzed Cream is made with use of cultures and Lipase enzyme. Lipase enzyme is used to split milk fat into free fatty acids eventually leading to methyl ketones, lactones and other volatile compounds for flavor.
5. GELATIN:
Gelatin is a derived water soluble protein made by controlled hydrolytic conversion of collagen, the protein constituent of white fibrous connective tissue from animals. It is obtained from beef bones and calf skin (Gelatin type B) or from skin, hide splits and trimming of pork (Gelatin type A). Gelatin is also obtained from fish. The fish gelatin is
started coming to markets in 1993 (Muslim Consumer Group reported in one of Chicago Muslim news paper in 1993). It is expensive than pork and beef and also provide little unpleasant smell to the food products. Fish gelatin is used in Procter & Gamble's Sunny Delight fruit drinks. It is
combined with Beta carotene a plant based color as a processing aid ingredient (not reported under the ingredients list) to help disperse the Beta carotene in liquid system. Fish gelatin was also used by Saputo Cheese Company under Stella, Frigo, Lorraine and Dragone brands for low
fat and reduced fat cheeses. The Fish gelatin meets the Islamic dietary requirements and is considered as a Halal ingredient.
Majority of Muslims do not purchase food products containing gelatin but a minority of Muslims consume food products made from Non-Zabiha beef gelatin. If these products are not under kosher certification, the manufacturer can change the source of gelatin from Non-Zabiha to pork.
6. KOSHER GELATIN:
There is a big confusion about Kosher Gelatin which is now used very extensively in yogurts, sour Cream, Cottage cheese and Ice Cream.
There are four type of kosher gelatin in the food products but none of them meet the Islamic dietary requirements and considered not Halal.
Different kosher certifying organizations have different beliefs. For example kosher organization with symbols OU, CRC, V, Kof K do not consider
pork gelatin as a kosher gelatin. Kosher organizations with kosher symbol K, KO accept pork gelatin as a kosher product. So the statements such as " Gelatin is considered Kosher regardless of its source of origin" which appears in many Halal foods books is not true.
a. Gelatin in Jell-o Gelatin products is made from pork and considered kosher by a Rabbi who certify these products with a kosher symbol K. These products are Haram.
b. Kosher gelatin is also obtained from non kosher slaughtered cattle bones and skin in China which is certified by a Rabbi in Florida. This gelatin is used in majority of Dannon Yogurts( Dannon's Premium Low Fat Plain, Premium Non Fat Plain and Natural Plain with UD kosher symbol do not contain any gelatin and considered as Halal products) and other brand of yogurts.
c. Kosher gelatin is also made from pork source and listed as kosher gelatin in some products with kosher symbol KO.
d. The Union of Orthodex Jewish Congregation of America certifies a Kosher gelatin which is made from cattle. These cattle are slaughtered according Jewish laws by a Sochet (A Rabbi). This kosher gelatin is used in Entenmann's Frosted Toaster Pastries with kosher symbol UD. Many Islamic Scholars do not accept kosher meat as the meat of Ahle-Kitab because Sochet (Rabbi) do not announce the name of Allah and other prayers on each animals.
Only fish gelatin and gelatin made from the bones and skins of Halal animals slaughtered according to Isla
