Jelly is a pretty fun thing to eat. It’s colourful, tasty and wobbly – and packed with chemistry!
Jelly gets its name from one of its ingredients – gelatine. And gelatine contains molecules of protein.
If you put some jelly cubes in warm water it dissolves, becoming a type of mixture known as a solution.
When you put this into the fridge, protein molecules tangle up as they get cooler – and this traps the water to make a solid. It can be fun to add fruit to the jelly – but be careful what fruit you choose.
Pineapple and kiwi fruit contain a chemical called an ‘enzyme’ – this breaks up the protein molecules so the jelly won’t be able to set – it will stay sloshy – disaster!
But here’s a tip – if you use tinned pineapple, your jelly should be okay. It’s juice would have been heated up and that will have stopped the enzyme.