ARS | Publication request: Alaskan Fish Gelatin Films: Thermal, Tensile, and Barrier Properties and Effects of Cross-linking

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 1, 2001
Publication Date: January 1, 2001
Citation: Chiou, B., Avena-Bustillos, R.J., Bechtel, P.J., Imam, S.H., Glenn, G.M., Orts, W.J. 2001. Alaskan Fish Gelatin Films: Thermal, Tensile, and Barrier Properties and Effects of Cross-linking. Abstract. 2008.

Technical Abstract: Gelatin was extracted from the skins of Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) and Alaska pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). These skins were by-products generated from the Alaskan fishing industry. Films were then cast from the fish gelatin and their thermal, tensile, water vapor permeability, oxygen permeability, and biodegradation properties were compared to those of bovine and porcine gelatin films. In addition, glutaraldehyde cross-linkers were added to fish gelatin films to improve their mechanical and water barrier properties. Pollock and salmon films had comparable tensile properties, but had lower tensile strength and percent elongation than those of mammalian gelatin films. This might be due to higher renaturation levels found in mammalian gelatin films. Adding 0.50% (w/w) glutaraldehyde was sufficient to react most of the amino groups in fish gelatin. However, the cross-linkers did not affect tensile properties of the gelatin films. Pollock gelatin films had the lowest water vapor and oxygen permeability values, whereas the mammalian gelatin films had the highest permeability values. Salmon gelatin films had intermediate permeability values. Cross-linking resulted in lower water vapor permeability for salmon gelatin films and higher oxygen permeability for pollock gelatin films. However, all fish gelatin samples still had better water vapor and oxygen barrier properties than mammalian gelatin films. Also, fish gelatin films degraded faster than mammalian gelatin films over a sixty-four day period. However, there did not seem to be any relationship between cross-linker concentration and degradation rate.