Poultry Meat in Aspic with Beef Gelatin

Why is poultry aspic sausage (chicken in aspic or turkey corned beef) made with beef aspic? The poultry jells too.

According to the butchers’ association, pork or beef aspic is usually used in the production of poultry sausage in aspic, since too little raw material is left over from the poultry when it is slaughtered for the production of aspic. In Europe, edible gelatin is produced most frequently, around 70%, from pigskin. Only about 2% of edible gelatin is made from poultry.

Edible gelatin is used in the manufacture of meat products in aspic, such as corned beef or jelly, to bring pieces of meat into sausage form or to mix in various ingredients and then solidify them. The use of vegetables, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs and similar foods is common in many products. Gelatin is a purely animal protein, which is obtained, for example, from the bones or skins of slaughtered animals.

The European hygiene regulation for food of animal origin (EG Regulation No. 854/2004) stipulates that edible gelatin may only be manufactured and marketed by approved companies. When processing meat products, foreign proteins such as gelatin may be added. However, the animal species from which the gelatin was made must be specified.