The conversion of a gelatine sol into cakes of gelatine has been much simplified by the advent of the evaporator. Before this machine was used much trouble was experienced with putrefaction, and in hot and thundery weather, especially on the Continent, it was often necessary to suspend operations. Evaporation has, however, materially contributed to the possibility of rapid and satisfactory cooling and drying.
From the time the weak sol is decolorized and bleached, the finishing processes consist essentially in the removal of water. This is now usually done partly by evaporation of the sol, and partly by the desiccation of the gel. There is an obvious elasticity in method, and factory practice does actually vary considerably in the relative proportions of these two alternatives. Some factories evaporate to a 20 per cent. sol, approximately, and rely upon drying sheds and lofts to complete the desiccation: other factories evaporate up to a 55 per cent. gelatine sol, and so can manage with less shed room. Something depends upon local conditions, but the main issue is between the cost of steam in evaporation and the cost of land and buildings required for sheds. On the whole the modern tendency is to evaporate more, for this course has the additional advantage of speed, involving both a quicker turnover and less liability of putrefaction. Lower-grade products need relatively greater evaporation to form a gel of equal rigidity.
After evaporation and bleaching, the concentrated sol is first cooled rapidly until it has set to a stiff gel, then cut up into cakes according to the size required, these being dried out on network frames arranged in tiers, through which a draught of air is usually forced or induced. This general description is of course applicable to many factories with innumerable variations in detail, most of which variations originate in local convenience and are unessential parts of the manufacture.
An essential principle is that the cooling or gelation should be done rapidly, not only to avoid putrefaction but also to avoid the action of heat on the elasticity of the gel. A hot sol or gel is liable to hydrolysis and loss of setting power, and should have its temperature quickly reduced, but a warm sol or gel (say 100° F.) is most liable to putrefaction, so that the cooling should be continued quickly. On the other hand, the gel should not be frozen. For cooling purposes a copious supply of cold water is most usually employed, but some factories have installed refrigerators. These plants operate by the rapid evaporation of liquefied gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, or ammonia, so arranged as to cool a solution of common salt, which forms the circulating liquor and is returned after use to the refrigerator. Where such plants are used, it is natural that their use should be extended to the drying sheds to cool the air entering in the height of summer. In some factories the cooling is attained neither by cold water nor cooled brine, but merely by cold air.
The kind of vessel in which gelation is induced varies widely in different factories. For lower-grade products metal boxes are used, heavily galvanized iron being the most common material. If the liquor be muddy, deep boxes are preferred, but if clear, rapid cooling is best attained by having them long and shallow, and so exposing a relatively greater area to the cooling action. In either case the boxes may contain up to ½ cwt. of jelly. Lambert mentions boxes 24" × 6", which are 5" deep; Cavalier suggests rectangular moulds holding 30 litres. In place of galvanized sheet iron, boxes of sheet zinc or of wood lined with zinc are sometimes used. In any case the most scrupulous cleanliness should be observed in all cooling-house work, and in some factories the most elaborate precautions are taken for cleansing vessels, tools, floors, etc., and even for their disinfection and sterilization. Iron, tinned iron, and copper cooling vessels are ruled out on account of their tendency to rust and tarnish, and the last is unjustifiably expensive. Many of these vessels are unsuitable for pure food gelatines in which traces of copper, zinc and arsenic are held to be very objectionable. For the best gelatines, therefore, a very shallow vessel (¼" to ½" deep) with a sheet glass bottom is preferred, and the concentrated sol is run on to this for gelation.
Glue (or gelatine) which has set in this way is sometimes called "cast glue." That which sets in metal boxes in blocks is termed "cut glue," because the blocks of jelly need subsequently to be cut into slabs of the desired size and shape. Jelly blocks may be cut by hand with the "wire knife" which yields a characteristic wavy appearance to the finished product. This may also be done by machinery, the block of gel being placed on a series of correctly spaced wires and forced through the network by hydraulic pressure. A cutting machine (Schneible) has also been used to cut up blocks of jelly into slices of the required thickness, but these machines have not made great headway in this country. It will be clear that cast glue is cooled more rapidly than glue in blocks; it is therefore not surprising to note Lambert's statement that the former comprises the larger proportion on the market.
The cut or cast cakes are next placed upon network frames, and a series of such frames are placed on a bogey. The bogey is run along tram lines into the drying tunnel, through which air is forced or induced by a fan. Many such bogeys are, of course, passed into each tunnel, and as many tunnels as required may be constructed. Care is necessary to expose the cakes evenly to the action of the air. It is mostly necessary to warm the air at the inlet by means of steam pipes and so increase its drying power. This is especially necessary in winter or wet weather. In summer, however, it is often arranged that the air is cooled before entering the sheds. This is accomplished by passing the air through pipes from a refrigerator. When heated air is used, it is stated by Lambert that the maximum temperature should be 25.5° C. (78° F.); Rideal considers 21° C. (70° F.) should be the maximum. In all cases the drying power of the air is easily ascertained from a wet-and-dry bulb thermometer, and the amount of air passing along the shed from a wind gauge. Lambert states that drying normally occupies four to five days. The final product is still a gel, of course, and contains from 10 to 18 per cent. of water. It appears, however, very hard and solid. The dried cakes are removed from the frames and transferred to the warehouse, where they are sorted according to quality and packed in bags or tin-lined boxes. Some material is ground to powder.
The network of the drying frames has been made from many materials. Cotton or string netting is very common, but is liable to sag and to get dirty. It also has a short life. Ordinary galvanized iron soon loses its galvanizing cover, and the iron then is liable to rust. Attempts have been made to use sheet zinc and other alloys, which are cut or punched into nets with square or diamond-shaped holes. These were found to warp and break. Rideal's conclusion, which is confirmed by the general experience, is that the best material is a heavily galvanized iron wire netting. He suggests that it should have 15 to 25 per cent. of its weight of zinc, and that it should be strengthened by stiffer ribs arranged both longitudinally and transversely.
Many attempts have been made, and many patents taken out, with the object of making the cooling, cutting, and drying processes as continuous and as quick as possible, and with a view to saving labour, which is rather costly at this stage. These attempts, however, have only met with indifferent success. A common idea is that a continuous supply should fall upon a revolving appliance, and be instantly congealed in a thin state, which last lends itself to more rapid desiccation. Vacuum drying has also been attempted.