Reducing Dependency: Konya's Innovation

In the context where the raw material for chocolate and jelly candies holds great importance both in Turkey and worldwide, domestic production has been achieved in Konya, contributing to the national industry. As a result, millions of dollars will remain in Turkey's treasury.

Dr. Abdullah Kurt, the Head of the Department of Food Engineering at Selçuk University's Akşehir Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, stated, "We have determined that it will serve as an alternative to bovine gelatin with its many features. In fact, we have also identified that turkey gelatin stands out with certain properties."

The Department of Food Engineering at Selçuk University's Akşehir Faculty of Engineering and Architecture has initiated a project to produce gelatin that can serve as an alternative to the one derived from bovine sources, using turkey and chicken skin and bones. The aim of this research, carried out by the Department of Food Engineering at Selçuk University, is to reduce dependency on foreign countries in the production of gelatin, which is extensively used in the food, health, and cosmetic industries, and to develop new techniques in this field.

In this context, considering the increasing demand for halal gelatin derived from bovine sources as an alternative to gelatin typically produced from pig skin and bones, research was conducted on alternative sources.

The research, for which a patent application has been filed, was published in April in the "Journal of the Science Food and Agriculture," which is ranked in the highest Q1 category internationally within the scientific community. The study, which initially focused on turkey by-products, later included chicken by-products as well.

Dr. Abdullah Kurt, the Head of the Department of Food Engineering at Selçuk University's Akşehir Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, stated that they conducted analyses to determine whether gelatin derived from the poultry sector could replace bovine gelatin. He said, "We have determined that it will serve as an alternative to bovine gelatin with its many features. In fact, we have also identified that turkey gelatin stands out with certain properties. In order to evaluate our project on a product basis, we conducted soft candy product trials in collaboration with an industrial organization. We are delighted to have successfully produced poultry gelatin as an alternative to bovine gelatin in our experiments. As a result of this project, it will not only reduce the country's dependency on bovine gelatin but also open up opportunities for gelatin exports in the future."