Biodegradation of chemically modified gelatin films in lake and river waters

Abstract

Gelatin was chemically modified by crosslinking samples with one of a number of bifunctional reagents as was done earlier in a processing technique used to improve mechanical properties through chain orientation. The effects of this crosslinking on the biodegradability of the resulting films were evaluated in the laboratory by exposing them to lake and river waters for 10 days with or without inoculation with periphyton organisms. Biodegradabilities were assessed by weight losses of the films and by measurements of dehydrogenase activity of biomasses taken from their surfaces. The extent of biodegradation depended on the type of crosslinking agent and the presence or absence of the periphyton. The gelatin films crosslinked with formaldehyde, glyoxal, or glutaraldehyde were the slowest to biodegrade; complete degradation required 8 -10 days. In contrast, the most biodegradable was the gelatin crosslinked with hexamethylene diisocyanate, which required only 3-4 days. The uncrosslinked gelatin and the gelatin crosslinked with butadiene diepoxide and diepoxyoctane were intermediate, degrading in 5-7 days. The dehydrogenase activity paralleled the weight losses but rapidly decreased when the amount of gelatin remaining was small.

Chemical compositions and characterisation of skin gelatin from farmed giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas)

“…Skin, bones, the vascular system, tendons and the connective tissue sheaths surrounding muscle are the major sources of collagen. In general, gelatin is manufactured from the waste generated during animal slaughter and processing, i.e., skin and bone (Patil, Dalev, Mark, Vassileva, & Fakirov, 2000). There are two different processes to obtain gelatin from skins and bones of animals, an acid process (gelatin A with an isoelectric point at pH 6-9) and an alkaline process (gelatin B with an isoelectric point at pH 5) (Stainsby, 1987).…”

Dissolution and Enzymatic Degradation Studies Before and After Artificial Ageing of Silk‐ or Linen‐Reinforced Gelatin Laminates, 2

“…The most important conclusion is that the gelatinbased silk-or linen-reinforced laminated composites are subject to dissolution and enzymatic degradation, similarly to gelatin and gelatin-based materials, studied in previous works. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Thus, these new laminated materials can be considered as biodegradable polymer-polymer composites.…”

“…[1,2] Some of the publications deal with oriented and/or crosslinked gelatin studied in laboratory conditions in the presence of specially added enzyme [3][4][5][6] or in the presence of a naturally available enzymes. [7,8] Recently, we modified gelatin by using it as a matrix in fabricreinforced laminated composites. A gelatin/starch blend was also used as a matrix.…”

Extraction and characterisation of gelatin from the skin of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and studies on its colour improvement

“…Skin, bones, the vascular system, tendons and the connective tissue sheaths surrounding muscle are the major sources of collagen. In general, gelatin is manufactured from the waste generated during animal slaughter and processing, that is, skin and bone (Patil et al, 2000). Generally, pig and cow skin and bones are the main sources of gelatin.…”