Evaluation of Food Additives in Terms of Istihalah

Abstract

Some of food additives are obtained from animal sources. Resources of the food and the physical and chemical changing process in the production process determine their rulings in Islamic law. The substances obtained from non-halal (unlawful) sources may be considered halal (lawful) with the chemical changes causing a change in their properties that was undergone during the production is called istihalah. Physical changes do not cause to istihalah. In this article, the istihalah examples given in Islamic law are evaluated, interpreted and adapted to food additives. According to this, the following results were obtained: Every part of the swine is not allowed to use as a raw material in the production of food additives whether it was undergone to istihalah or not. Because everything belong to swine is accepted dirty (najis). Chemically, triglycerides are undergone istihalah if they are breakdown to glycerol and fatty acids. Proteins are undergone istihalah if they are totally breakdown to their amino acids. When glycerol, fatty acids and amino acids generated from these breakdowns are used to produce new substances, the new products are accepted as undergone to istihalah. Monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, nucleotides, gelatins and phosphatidic acids as metabolites are not accepted as undergone to istihalah. Because, they are not hydrolyzed to their subunits, so they do not lose their features. If these compounds are combined with new additives, the new component also are not accepted as undergone to istihalah.