Effect of molecular weight and distribution of bovine bone gelatin on the cross-linking gelation induced by transglutaminase

Siyi Gu; Zhaojun Wang; Junli Dong; Zhan Bao; Maomao Zeng; Zhiyong He; Qiuming Chen; Jie Chen

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139306

Effect of molecular weight and distribution of bovine bone gelatin on the cross-linking gelation induced by transglutaminase

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jan 1:139306. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139306. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Siyi Gu¹, Zhaojun Wang¹, Junli Dong¹, Zhan Bao¹, Maomao Zeng¹, Zhiyong He¹, Qiuming Chen², Jie Chen³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China. Electronic address: chenqm@jiangnan.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China. Electronic address: chenjie@jiangnan.edu.cn.

PMID: 39753179
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139306

Abstract

In this work, six bovine bone gelatin (type B) samples with varying molecular weight (MW) fractions, comprising α-chains, high- and low-MW fractions, were prepared using ethanol precipitation and pH adjustment. The influence of molecular weight distribution (MWD) on gelatin gel strength was examined, along with the effects of these different MW fractions on microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) cross-linking gelatin. The results showed that, without MTGase treatment, high-MW fractions acted as key fillers in the formation of gelatin gel networks, while α-chains and their aggregates played a central role. In contrast, the gelation ability of low-MW fractions was negligible. MTGase cross-linking significantly increased gel strength in both high- and low-MW samples. For instance, the gel strength of the high-MW sample enhanced from 874.4 g to 1425.9 g, while that of the low-MW sample rose from 186.4 g to 340.4 g. However, gelatin with an MWD featuring fewer high- and low-MW fractions and a higher proportion of α-chains and their aggregates, exhibited a significant decrease in gel strength, which declined from 740.8 g to 560.0 g. These findings emphasized the distinct impact of MW fractions on enzymatic gelation.

Keywords: Gel properties; Gel strength; Gelatin; Molecular weight; Molecular weight distribution; Transglutaminase.