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Why do gelatin sheets have a diamond pattern?

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Are they perforations?
Are they for measurement?
Are they for brand recognition or marketing or just aesthetics?

Ola Ström
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Enkarht Khani
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3 Answers3

54

I think it is a side effect of the drying process. If you look at about the 5m50s mark, the drying conveyor is a diamond pattern.

YouTube video of the process

enter image description here

UnhandledExcepSean
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20

The same reason why toilet paper is quilted. The pattern is there to ensure that the sheets do not stick together.

Small amounts of moisture will always be there during packaging. If the sheets of gelatin stick, they will have a minimal contact surface allowing for separation.

Adrian Hum
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0

That seems a plausible answer. The actual belt of the machine is stamped in a way that when it is stretched out it forms the diamond pattern. The gelatin when drying probably has air passed over it which will cause shrinkage where the mesh is as the air cannot get through the pattern of the mesh wire thus causing the shape. The gelatin would just stick to a flat metal sheet as any chef in a kitchen could tell you. Once the gelatin is moistened it reverts to it’s glue like consistency.

Glorfindel
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Redoubt Nodoubt
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