Collagen and gelatin: Structure, properties, and applications in food industry

Muhammad Ijaz Ahmad; Yonghui Li; Jinfeng Pan; Fei Liu; Hongjie Dai; Yu Fu; Tao Huang; Shahzad Farooq; Hui Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128037

Collagen and gelatin: Structure, properties, and applications in food industry

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Jan;254(Pt 3):128037. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128037. Epub 2023 Nov 12.

Authors

Muhammad Ijaz Ahmad¹, Yonghui Li², Jinfeng Pan³, Fei Liu⁴, Hongjie Dai⁵, Yu Fu⁵, Tao Huang⁶, Shahzad Farooq¹, Hui Zhang⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Agro-Food Processing, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
² Department of Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.
³ National Engineering Research Centre for Seafood, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Provincial and Ministerial Co-construction for Seafood Deep Processing, Liaoning Province Collaborative Innovation Centre for Marine Food Deep Processing, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Science Center for Future Foods, Jiangnan University, School of Food Science and Technology, International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Wuxi 214122, China.
⁵ College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
⁶ College of Food and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315800, China.
⁷ College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Agro-Food Processing, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: hubert0513@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 37963506
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128037

Abstract

Food-producing animals have the highest concentration of collagen in their extracellular matrix. Collagen and gelatin are widely used in food industry due to their specific structural, physicochemical, and biochemical properties, which enable them to improve health and nutritional value as well as to increase the stability, consistency, and elasticity of food products. This paper reviews the structural and functional properties including inherent self-assembly, gel forming, water-retaining, emulsifying, foaming, and thickening properties of collagen and gelatin. Then the colloid structures formed by collagen such as emulsions, films or coatings, and fibers are summarized. Finally, the potential applications of collagen and gelatin in muscle foods, dairy products, confectionary and dessert, and beverage products are also reviewed. The objective of this review is to provide the current market value, progress as well as applications of collagen and its derivatives in food industry.

Keywords: Collagen; Colloid structure; Fibers; Food additive; Food packaging; Functional properties; Gelatin.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Collagen* / chemistry
Emulsions / chemistry
Food
Food-Processing Industry
Gelatin* / chemistry

Substances

Gelatin
Collagen
Emulsions