Gelatin is used to make lithographic and printing inks, plastic compounds, artificial silk, matches and pharmaceutical capsules. It finds application in light filters for mercury lamps, clarifying agent, pharmaceutical aid (suspending agent) and gelling component. It acts as an additive for foods and microencapsulating agent. Further, it is employed in electroplating, hectographic masters, paper and textile sizing, cosmetics, ointments and other medical and veterinary applications. It is useful in histochemistry, bacterial culture media and light microscope autoradiography. In addition to this, it is used to make the shells of paintballs and to hold silver halide crystals in an emulsion, in virtually all photographic films and photographic papers.
