Halal is a strict diet often followed by Muslims, consisting of natural foods from fish, plants, and vegetables. Fat-based halal ingredients must consist of vegetable fats, and meat must be slaughtered according to specific rules. Ingredients used in flavoring must also be processed in a specific way, and preservatives and flavor enhancers can be problematic. It is important to carefully scrutinize ingredients to determine if they are halal.
Halal is an Arabic word defined as “legal” or “lawful” and refers to a strict diet often followed by Muslims. Foods that are earthy or natural are essential to this type of diet. Typically, all ingredients come from fish, plants and vegetables. Some halal ingredients come from meat, but meat must be slaughtered according to specific rules.
Traditional rules dictate that fat-based halal ingredients must consist exclusively of vegetable fats, such as mono- and diglyceride fats. Most often “vegetable” is placed before the name fat. Vegetable fats that have been modified in a laboratory are not considered halal ingredients.
Even those halal ingredients used in flavoring, such as vanilla or turmeric, must be processed in a specific way. Vanilla beans and vanillin, the flavor compound from vanilla beans, are both considered halal, as alcohol is not used in their production. Other types of vanilla flavoring are not considered halal, as they are treated with alcohol, which is strictly prohibited. When emulsifiers are added to turmeric, the spice is not used. It is only considered acceptable if the emulsifier comes from a plant, but not animals.
Many preservatives are halal, depending on the source and manufacturing process. Preservatives such as hydroxybenzoates are not, because they use alcohol solvents to process. Another preservative, calcium benzoate, can be consumed if the chemical was obtained from minerals and not bones.
Several ingredients can be consumed as long as they are not a byproduct of the wine. Many tartrates are obtained after grape fermentation, which is prohibited for those following this diet. Tartaric acid, cream of tartar and sodium tartrates can only be considered halal if they are not the result of grape fermentation.
Flavor enhancers can be problematic, as the chemicals used can be grown on culture media using pork fat. It is important to find out how the flavor enhancers monosodium glutamate, calcium glutamate and monopotassium glutamate are also produced. Manufacturers can often provide this information.
Some individuals, usually Muslims, choose to follow a halal diet. Not all food items are marked as halal, so ingredients need to be carefully scrutinized. Foods must be natural and come from plants or from meat that has been humanely treated to receive this designation. Sometimes, the source of the compound and the processing techniques will help determine if a specific ingredient can be considered halal.
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