Hydrodynamic Properties of Gelatin – Studies from Intrinsic Viscosity Measurements (original) (raw)

Gelatin is a natural polymer widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, photographic, and food industries. It is obtained by denaturation and partial hydrolysis of fibrous collagen. Collagen is the most abundant structural protein of animals and by far the main organic component of skin and bone of vertebrates. However, collagen is standing for a family of proteins with 21 different types of aminoacids described to date. Skin and bones, the raw materials for gelatin manufacture, mainly consist of type I collagen and a small fraction of type III collagen. Each type I collagen molecule consists of polypeptide chains are twisted into left-handed helices. The rod like triple-helical collagen molecules is arranged in a parallel but staggered orientation to form fibrils.