Obtaining gelatin from chicken skin with the help of ohmic system and comparison with the traditional method

Collagen in animal tissues is transformed into gelatin by partial hydrolysis. Gelatin, which can be transformed into solution and gel forms with heating and cooling processes, is used in sectors such as food, cosmetics, medicine, paint and photography. The most common animal sources used in gelatin production are pork skin, cowhide and bones, and fish skin. Animal sources rich in collagen are kept in an alkaline medium to remove non-collagen proteins after they are purified from impurities. According to the raw material (skin or bone) used, the collagen is swollen by washing in an acid or alkaline medium. Then, the collagen is kept in a water bath at temperatures varying between 60-85 °C and thus gelatin is extracted. Steam heating is carried out to reach the extraction ambient temperature and this process varies between 3-10 hours depending on the production amount. With the advancing technology, it is thought that different technologies can be used in the production of gelatin, thus accelerating the gelatin production process and improving the functional properties of the gelatins to be produced. For this purpose, there are scientific studies examining the use of novel technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure and ultrasound in gelatin extraction. However, there is no scientific study about the use of ohmic heating assisted system in gelatin extraction. Steam systems are used to heat the extraction medium in gelatine production, heating and extraction take quite a long time. Within the scope of the project, the use of an ohmic heating assisted extraction system in the production of gelatin from cowhide and chicken slaughterhouse by-products will be investigated. For this purpose, the ohmic system will be applied during the extraction of gelatin in hot water medium, and thus, the gelatin extraction time can be shortened by providing a fast and effective heating. At the same time, a significant increase in extraction efficiency can be achieved with the application of electrical field. The cowhides to be used will be supplied from Bursa Gelatin A.Ş., which is pre-processed and ready for extraction. Among the by-products of the chicken slaughterhouse, those suitable for gelatin production will be determined according to hydroxyproline content and the by-products will be supplied from Hastavuk A.Ş. Gelatin extraction from animal sources will be carried out both by the traditional method and by the ohmic heating assisted extraction system. The gelatins to be produced using the ohmic heating assisted extraction system will be compared in terms of physical, chemical and thermal properties with the conventionally produced and commercially sold (cowhide, pork and fish; approximately 200 blooms) gelatins. Preliminary trials on the production of gelatin from chicken and cowhides were carried out with the help of the vacuum ohmic system related to the project idea. The extraction medium was kept constant at 75 °C and an electric field of 15 V/cm intensity was applied for 1 hour. Compared to the traditional method, the gelatin yield increased by 20% and the extraction process took place in a shorter time. With these aspects, it is clear that the project will make significant contributions both on an industrial scale and commercially. The fact that there is no scientific study about the use of ohmic heating supported system in gelatin production and that gelatin production will be carried out in a shorter time and with a more effective technique reveals the original aspect of the project. In addition, the faster and more efficient processing of chicken slaughterhouse by-products into a product with higher added value increases the originality of the project