262
12 Collagen
helix structure. There are various types of collagen; however, the type I collagen is
most common in vertebrates where it could make up to 78% of the collagen. In the
intact form, collagen plays mainly structural role; however, when hydrolyzed into
its polypeptide forms, it has more diverse applications which range from food to
biomedical.
The production of collagen serves some advantage to the environment as it provides a way to optimize the utilization of the global aquatic resources. Further to
this, by adding value to the aquatic resource from which it is sourced, it provides an
additional source of income to the fishermen and fish traders who can then sell the
by-products to other companies who can then convert to collagen and these can then
be converted to other products of much higher value. Some adverse environmental
impacts arise from water utilization, use of acids, salts and alkali which might be
released into the environment and cause some adverse effects as well as carbon emissions. All of which can be addressed through sustainable practices such as recycling
and process optimization.
Collagen is fairly well explored aquatic biopolymer resource. Global collagen
market is estimated to have an annual growth rate of 5.2% (Research and Markets
2019). Much of this comes from its use in food and other applications are also seeing
increased interest. Companies such as Nitta Gelatin existing across the world are
involved in the production of gelatin from fish. In addition to this, researchers across
the world are also continually exploring new sources and new ways of obtaining
and making use of gelatin. Such innovations include 3D printed scaffolds for bone
regeneration and corneal replacement and these are discussed in this chapter. With
such high-end application from fish by-products which are generally considered as
waste, collagen has significant impact on present and future economies.
The rest of the chapter explores collagen as another important aquatic sourced
biopolymer, beginning with where it is sourced, the chemistry of aquatic sourced
collagen and how this differs or is similar to non-aquatic sourced collagen, the production processes and how these processes impact the environment and the current
state of the commercial collagen production.
12.2 Occurrence in Nature
Collagen is relatively abundant in nature, and it is the most abundant protein in
vertebrates. It is present in humans and other primates, mammals, vertebrates and
invertebrates. It makes up the bones, skin and other connective tissue where it is
produced by fibroblast cells. Collagen makes up approximately 30% of protein in
animals, in humans it makes up 75% of the dry weight of the skin (Shoulders and
Raines 2009). Within the tissue, proteins serve structural roles alongside other tissue
components such as elastin and hydroxyapatite, depending on the particular tissue
composition. The bone tissue for example comprises a composite with collagen and
other non-collagenous proteins forming the matrix filled with minerals and forming
the disperse phase of the biological tissue matrix (Aerssens et al. 1994; Robinson
12 Collagen
helix structure. There are various types of collagen; however, the type I collagen is
most common in vertebrates where it could make up to 78% of the collagen. In the
intact form, collagen plays mainly structural role; however, when hydrolyzed into
its polypeptide forms, it has more diverse applications which range from food to
biomedical.
The production of collagen serves some advantage to the environment as it provides a way to optimize the utilization of the global aquatic resources. Further to
this, by adding value to the aquatic resource from which it is sourced, it provides an
additional source of income to the fishermen and fish traders who can then sell the
by-products to other companies who can then convert to collagen and these can then
be converted to other products of much higher value. Some adverse environmental
impacts arise from water utilization, use of acids, salts and alkali which might be
released into the environment and cause some adverse effects as well as carbon emissions. All of which can be addressed through sustainable practices such as recycling
and process optimization.
Collagen is fairly well explored aquatic biopolymer resource. Global collagen
market is estimated to have an annual growth rate of 5.2% (Research and Markets
2019). Much of this comes from its use in food and other applications are also seeing
increased interest. Companies such as Nitta Gelatin existing across the world are
involved in the production of gelatin from fish. In addition to this, researchers across
the world are also continually exploring new sources and new ways of obtaining
and making use of gelatin. Such innovations include 3D printed scaffolds for bone
regeneration and corneal replacement and these are discussed in this chapter. With
such high-end application from fish by-products which are generally considered as
waste, collagen has significant impact on present and future economies.
The rest of the chapter explores collagen as another important aquatic sourced
biopolymer, beginning with where it is sourced, the chemistry of aquatic sourced
collagen and how this differs or is similar to non-aquatic sourced collagen, the production processes and how these processes impact the environment and the current
state of the commercial collagen production.
12.2 Occurrence in Nature
Collagen is relatively abundant in nature, and it is the most abundant protein in
vertebrates. It is present in humans and other primates, mammals, vertebrates and
invertebrates. It makes up the bones, skin and other connective tissue where it is
produced by fibroblast cells. Collagen makes up approximately 30% of protein in
animals, in humans it makes up 75% of the dry weight of the skin (Shoulders and
Raines 2009). Within the tissue, proteins serve structural roles alongside other tissue
components such as elastin and hydroxyapatite, depending on the particular tissue
composition. The bone tissue for example comprises a composite with collagen and
other non-collagenous proteins forming the matrix filled with minerals and forming
the disperse phase of the biological tissue matrix (Aerssens et al. 1994; Robinson