INS 441 is the code for gelatin
What makes a jelly set, a marshmallow chewy and a gummy sweet hold its shape. It is also used to clear fruit juice and to coat capsules. Gelatin is collagen boiled out of animal skin and bone, usually pig or cattle, and there is no plant version of it - agar, pectin and carrageenan are different substances used for the same job.
- What it does
- Sets it to a gel A gelling agent
- Also printed as
- Gelatine
- Vegetarian?
- Not vegetarian From animals
- In the Zabel score
- Takes no points off Method 1.0.0
- In our catalogue
- 0 packs List it in their ingredients
Is INS 441 vegetarian?
INS 441 is made from animal material, so it is not vegetarian. A pack that lists it should carry the brown mark.
Too few packs in our catalogue list INS 441 for a breakdown by food to mean anything yet. We print one once at least 20 categorised packs carry it.
What does the evidence say about INS 441?
We grade an additive by the evidence about it, not by whether it sounds like a chemical, and we make no claim about whether a pack complies with FSSAI rules.
No health concern: it is a protein, digested like any other, and neither JECFA nor FSSAI places a numeric limit on it. It is in the rulebook for one reason - it is the most common animal ingredient on an Indian shelf that a shopper can miss, because it is often printed as a bare INS number in a list that is otherwise entirely plant-based. A pack containing it is non-vegetarian and must carry the brown mark.
Does Zabel mark INS 441 down?
No. On the evidence we hold it takes nothing off the score (method 1.0.0). Read the method.
Questions people search
What is INS 441?
INS 441 is the code for gelatin, a gelling agent. What makes a jelly set, a marshmallow chewy and a gummy sweet hold its shape. It is also used to clear fruit juice and to coat capsules. Gelatin is collagen boiled out of animal skin and bone, usually pig or cattle, and there is no plant version of it - agar, pectin and carrageenan are different substances used for the same job.
Is INS 441 vegetarian?
INS 441 is made from animal material, so it is not vegetarian. A pack that lists it should carry the brown mark.
What does the evidence say about INS 441?
No health concern: it is a protein, digested like any other, and neither JECFA nor FSSAI places a numeric limit on it. It is in the rulebook for one reason - it is the most common animal ingredient on an Indian shelf that a shopper can miss, because it is often printed as a bare INS number in a list that is otherwise entirely plant-based. A pack containing it is non-vegetarian and must carry the brown mark.
Does Zabel mark INS 441 down?
No. On the evidence we hold it takes nothing off the score (method 1.0.0).
What other names is INS 441 printed under?
Packs also print it as Gelatine, or as the bare number 441 in brackets after the ingredient.
Sources
- 01 General Standard for Food Additives (CXS 192-1995) Codex Alimentarius, 2023
- 02 Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 FSSAI, 2020
- 03 Zabel catalogue - pack counts, food categories and the codes printed alongside 4 Nov 2026
Entry updated 19 Sep 2026 · Not reviewed by a dietitian yet · Report an error on this page
Point the camera at the pack.
Zabel reads every INS code on it, shows the score, and shows the working.