Characterization and film-forming properties of collagen from three species of sea cucumber from the South China Sea: Emphasizing the effect of transglutaminase

Yu Liu; Qingyao Zheng; Mingtang Tan; Zhongqin Chen; Huina Zheng; Jialong Gao; Haisheng Lin; Guoping Zhu; Wenhong Cao

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139321

Characterization and film-forming properties of collagen from three species of sea cucumber from the South China Sea: Emphasizing the effect of transglutaminase

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jan 2:294:139321. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139321. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yu Liu¹, Qingyao Zheng¹, Mingtang Tan², Zhongqin Chen², Huina Zheng², Jialong Gao², Haisheng Lin², Guoping Zhu², Wenhong Cao³

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Technology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518108, China.
² College of Food Science and Technology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518108, China; National Research and Development Branch Center for Shellfish Processing (Zhanjiang), Zhanjiang 524088, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Products Processing and Safety, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Seafood, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
³ College of Food Science and Technology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518108, China; National Research and Development Branch Center for Shellfish Processing (Zhanjiang), Zhanjiang 524088, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquatic Products Processing and Safety, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Seafood, Zhanjiang 524088, China. Electronic address: cwenhong@gdou.edu.cn.

PMID: 39755297
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139321

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the structural characteristics of Stichopus horrens collagen (SHC), Holothuria scabra collagen (HSC), and Holothuria leucospilota collagen (HLC) and to assess the effect of transglutaminase (TGase) on their film-forming properties. The results indicated that the collagens from three species of sea cucumbers were type I collagen with a complete triple helical structure. The thermal denaturation temperature of HLC (34.6 °C) was higher than that of SHC (32.8 °C) and HSC (32.3 °C). Among the films without TGase, the HLC collagen films (HLCF) performed the best performance, demonstrating excellent barrier properties, strong hydrophobicity, and good thermal stability. Furthermore, the addition of TGase improved the performance of collagen films, especially in HLCF-TG. Notably, the mechanical properties of HLCF-TG were significantly enhanced, with tensile strength reaching the highest value of 5.36 ± 1.14 MPa. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy confirmed that TGase cross-linking enhanced the hydrogen bonding between collagen molecules, resulting in a dense and orderly film structure, which further improved the properties of the film. These findings provide valuable information on the processing of sea cucumber collagen and its potential applications in food packaging films.

Keywords: Film-forming properties; Sea cucumber collagen; Transglutaminase.