On the action of ozone on gelatin

Gelatin, the lower molecular weight derivative of collagen, was treated with ozone and the structural changes were studied with polarimetry, electronic absorption and FT-IR spectroscopy. The resulting ozonized gelatins were studied by thermal analysis (DSC and TGA) in comparison to a reference gelatin. It has been found that at relatively low ozone dose, for instance at ozone/gelatin molar ratios between 0.1 and 0.35 the structural damage introduced by ozone oxidation of gelatin is minimal to negligible and this may facilitate the industrial utilization of ozone in the cold sterilization of gelatin as well as in its bleaching processes required for certain applications. At higher O(3)/gelatin molar ratios the gelatine damage is evident both polarimetrically as suggested by the drop of its specific optical rotation and by spectrophotometrical analyses.