Extraction and characterization of collagen from the skin of and its potential application in food industries.

The primary objective of this study was to extract collagen from underutilized fish species owing to its cost effective nature and also its ability to address the demand of type I collagen arising from food and pharmaceutical industries. Acid and pepsin soluble collagen (ppASC and ppPSC) were extracted from the skin of sucker catfish () with a yield of 19.6 and 23.8% on wet weight basis respectively. The same were characterized and confirmed as type I collagen by SDS-PAGE, FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, amino acid analysis, and Zeta potential. Taking into consideration the application of collagen in food industry, a food product was developed by incorporating with fresh cheese. This fortification was found to be acceptable and had not altered the taste, odor and other sensory properties of the product.