QUESTION REGARDING CERTAIN INGREDIENTS?

Asked by DOVID · March 27, 2004 · Passover

Question

DEAR RABBI I SOMETIMES COME ALONG THE FOLLOWING INGR. IN DIFF. FOOD PRODUCTS, CAN YOU TELL ME IF THEY ARE KOSHER? 1]GLYCINE(WHAT IS IT , IS IT RELATED TO GLYCERINE) 2]GLUCONIC ACID 3]PECTIN (WHAT IS THIS) 4] ALSO WHEN I SEE "FRUIT EXTRACTS" IS THERE ANY REASON FOR CONCERN IF IT WERE GRAPE? THANK YOU FOR YOU ALWAYS SWIFT RESPONSE, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND HAVE A "KOSHER" PESACH (AS THEY SAY)

Answer

Answered by Aaron Abadi

1) (glī´sēn) , organic compound, one of the 20 amino acids commonly found in animal proteins. Glycine is the only one of these amino acids that is not optically active, i.e., it does not have D- and L-stereoisomers. It is structurally the simplest of the α-amino acids, having merely a hydrogen atom for a side chain, and is thus very unreactive when incorporated into proteins. Nevertheless, in the free state glycine participates in several important reactions, including the biosynthesis of heme, an important constituent of hemoglobin, and the biosyntheses of serine (another amino acid), purines (constituents of genetic material), and glutathione (a coenzyme). Defects of glycine metabolism are very rare. The amino acid is not essential to the diet since it can be made from other substances in the body. Glycine was the first amino acid to be isolated from a protein, in this case gelatin. 2) Gluconic acid An acid with the chemical formula C6H12O7. At room temperature, it is a colorless crystal; it melts at 131° Celsius. It can be made by the oxidation of glucose. It will dissolve in water and alcohols. It is used in pharmaceuticals and some food products, as a cleanser, and as a catalyst in textile printing. 3) any of a group of white, amorphous, complex carbohydrates that occur in ripe fruits and certain vegetables. Fruits rich in pectin are the peach, apple, currant, and plum. Protopectin, present in unripe fruits, is converted to pectin as the fruit ripens. Pectin forms a colloidal solution in water and gels on cooling. When fruits are cooked with the correct amount of sugar, and when the acidity is optimum and the amount of pectin present is sufficient, jams and jellies can be made. In overripe fruits, the pectin becomes pectic acid, which does not form jelly with sugar solutions. Commercial preparations of pectin are available for jelly making. An indigestible, soluble fiber, pectin is a general intestinal regulator that is used in many medicinal preparations, especially as an antidiarrhea agent. 4) No. Try doing this yourself by typing the word in "yahoo.com" or "google," and then poof, it's all there. AA