Extracted tissue-specific atelocollagens have distinctive textural properties

Area of Science:

• Biophysical properties of collagen
• Food science and material science

Background:

• Food texture is crucial for elderly, children, and patients with swallowing difficulties.
• Collagen and gelatin are widely used in food, supplements, and medical materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extract atelocollagen from non-edible porcine tissues (ear, nose, skin).
• To analyze and compare the biophysical properties (texture, viscosity, fibril formation) of extracted collagen.
• To determine the potential of tissue-specific collagen as food or supplement ingredients.

Main Methods:

• Extraction of atelocollagen from porcine ear, nose, and skin tissues.
• Analysis of biophysical properties including hardness, springiness, brittleness, shear stress, and viscosity.
• Microscopic examination of collagen fibril formation (width and morphology).

Main Results:

• Whole auricle collagen (AEC) showed superior springiness.
• Auricle skin collagen (ASC) exhibited superior hardness, springiness, and brittleness.
• Body skin collagen was hard but less springy.
• ASC gels had high shear strength, while nose and AEC had low maximum strains.
• Auricular collagens demonstrated higher viscosity.
• Collagen fibril morphology varied significantly across tissues.

Conclusions:

• Collagen's texture and viscosity are unique and depend on the source tissue or organ.
• Extracted collagen from different porcine organs possesses distinct properties.
• These unique characteristics offer diverse possibilities for collagen utilization in food and supplements.