Gelatins – Physicochemical Properties, Source Dependence and Applications

With an estimated annual world-wide production of more than 300 000 metric tonnes, gelatin is one of the most abundant commercial biopolymers, and also one of the most versatile with several hundred different applications, from technical to pharmaceutical. Production of gelatin is based on a partial hydrolysis of the mother structural molecule collagen. Mammalian (homoeothermic) sources of gelatin have basically identical amino acid composition and physical properties, although gelatins (and collagens) from poikilothermic animals may vary considerably.