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FAIR-CT96-3055
High performance gelatines from alternative sources |
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Type of Project | Shared Cost |
| Contract No | FAIR-CT96-3055 | |
| Total Cost | 1 816 571 ECU | |
| EC Contribution | 960,000 ECU | |
| Start Date | 01/09/97 | |
| Duration | 36 Months |
Objectives
There are several reasons for the need for
gelatine from alternative sources specially in Europe as the largest
companies in commercial gelatine production are found there. The world
wide supply of gelatine is between 200-250 thousand tons per year and the
global demand for gelatines has been estimated to increase 3% per annum.
However, the consumption of meat is decreasing in Europe as well as there
is an increased demand for pig skins for other uses which has resulted in
decreased availability of raw material for gelatine production. But there
are also opportunities to compensate for the loss as there are a great
volumes of under-utilised by-products or waste material specially in the
fish industry, i.e. fish skins and bones that could be used to produce
gelatine instead of going to waste or low prised by-products. One of the
aims of this project is to explore the feasibility to use such waste
material from the fish industry and other food industries to produce
gelatine and thereby help keeping the gelatine production in Europe to
grow further.
The main objective of the project is to make high performance gelatines from alternative sources or from blends of commercial gelatines and gelatines from alternative sources. These gelatines from alternative sources will be studied and compared to commercial gelatines. The structural properties are to be related to functional properties. This information will be used to broaden the use of gelatines by:
Methodology and research tasks
The project is divided into
three tasks. In Task 1, the variation in the structure and function of
gelatines from different origins are studied with fundamental and
empirical methods. The main emphasis is on the study of functional
properties of the new gelatines (e.g. fish gelatines) and to relate them
to their structural properties studied and finally to compare the results
to commercial gelatines. The relationship between structural properties
and functional properties is necessary to take into account in order to
explain the performance of different gelatines. Also if predictions are to
be made of the performance of gelatines in various applications. This type
of work has only been done to a small extent on gelatine for historical
reasons as gelatine production started without considering such relations
of properties. The new gelatines can be looked upon as new biopolymers
that need to be characterised thoroughly and for example 50 man years have
been used for similar work on gellan gum the past years as that was
thought necessary to characterise the new biopolymer to be able to put it
on the market. One can argue that the same arguments count for the new
gelatines.
In Task 2, blends of the new products and commercial gelatines will be prepared and evaluated. Functional performance of the blends are of special interest and their possible application as well a, potential exploitation. In the third Task, modelling of structural and functional properties will be performed based on the results from the project in order to explain our findings and to be able to predict performances of gelatines in various applications. Measurements on structural properties are performed on gelatine in solution to study coil-helix transitions and gelation i.e. sol-gel transition, both rate and quantity with methods such as optical rotation measurements, atomic force microscopy-, interfacial studies with drop volume technique, elongational flow and intrinsic viscosity measurements. Other measurements related to structure are performed like amino acid analysis, molecular weight and weight distribution, isoelectric points and more. Functional properties measured will mainly be rheological i.e. viscosity and viscoelastic properties-but also foaming ability, film forming and wetting. Performance of blends of novel gelatines and commercial gelatines will be measured and evaluated and their potential application explored. Finally both structural and statistical models will be constructed in order to explain the behaviour of different gelatines and to predict their performances in various applications and blends.
Work that has been started
The work has already started in
Task 1, where 8 different samples of gelatine from- fish (cod, plaice) and
mammalian from beef and pig (hides and bones) are to be studied to begin
with. The gelatines are also differentiated by the production process that
is either alkali or acidic and also if the gelatines are high molecular
weight (MW) or low in MW. Other novel gelatines will be studied later in
order to have as wide range of different gelatines representing different
properties. The structural and functional measurements have been performed
according to the plan set out in the contract as well as all supporting
analysis. The gelatines were first prepared at the laboratories of four
different partners and then send to each participant. Now the samples are
analysed and measured with the methodologies as mentioned above, first in
their natural state and then later were factors such as pH, ionic
strength, concentration and temperature are varied.
Contacts
Coordinator
Participant
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