Jell-O

(short dramatic orchestral effect)

(swoosh)

[Narrator] Jell-O.

It's as American as apple pie and twice as wobbly.

And while it is translucent, today

we'll see what's really inside.

The key to the query concoction is collagen,

the fibrous protein that makes flesh so tough and stretchy.

Which is why Jell-O's recipe starts

with chopped-up pig & cow hides soaked

in acid or alkaline.

After which, collagen's triple helix of amino acid chains

relax and unravel in a hot bath of H2O.

As it cools, the substance stiffens into

a colorless, odorless, fibrous matrix.

And since the resulting gelatin is flavorless as well,

sugar is added to sweeten the pot.

While adipic acid fools your taste buds

into sensing fruitiness when none exists,

by adding a tad jolt of sour to all that sweetness.

(bubbles simmer)

As does fumaric acid, a hydrophobic compound

that repels moisture to preserve the dessert

in its powdery form.

Disodium phosphate and sodium citrate

may also help Jell-O mold its flavor with

a dash of saltiness.

But more importantly, these buffering agents keep

the gelatin gelling by stabilizing the PH balance

to prevent excess acidity.

Just as Jell-O prevents picnic lunch predictability,

with the many artificially-flavored variations.

From mock melon to simulated strawberry,

in a wiggly rainbow

of petroleum-based artificial flavors.

Though the fun of Jell-O is always 100% real.

(orchestral swoosh)

(pop)

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