Enhanced Recovery of Functional Collagen from Fish Processing Waste Via Ultrasound-Assisted Pretreatment: Process Optimization, Structural Analysis, and Cytocompatibility Study
摘要
This study investigated the potential of using ultrasound waves as an efficient method for isolating collagen from silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) skin waste, specifically focusing on its time reduction, yield enhancement, and sustainable bioresource utilization. The extraction process involves two main steps: first, chemical pretreatment, and second, collagen extraction. In this study, ultrasound pretreatment was applied to both steps. The findings demonstrated that ultrasound significantly enhanced the efficiency of both stages. During the chemical pretreatment stage, ultrasound increased the removal of non-collagenous proteins by reducing the required time from 24 h to approximately 12 h. In the extraction stage, the yield of extraction was improved from 33.28% for acid-soluble collagen (ASC, conventional method) to 44.14% for ultrasound-assisted extraction of acid-soluble collagen (UASC) when ultrasound was applied at 100% amplitude for 60 min. For ultrasound-assisted extraction of pepsin-soluble collagen (UPSC), the highest yield reached 56.80%, indicating the synergistic effect of ultrasound and enzyme treatment. Investigation into amino acid composition highlighted significant glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline quantities. The zeta potential of both collagens was within the acidic range. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis revealed α-chains and β-dimers, verifying structural similarity to type I collagen. Thermal stability studies showed that collagens were denatured at temperatures of 30 °C for UASC and 30.2 °C for UPSC. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the triple-helical structure, while ultraviolet–visible absorption (UV–Vis) spectroscopy revealed absorbance peaks at 236 nm (UASC) and 237 nm (UPSC), validating purity. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images displayed porous structures suitable for cell adhesion, and MTT assays demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, with cell viability exceeding 97%. These results highlighted the feasibility of ultrasound-assisted extraction as a clean and sustainable method for producing high-quality collagen from silver carp skin waste, minimizing processing time, reducing solvent use, and enhancing product quality while preserving the structural and functional integrity of collagen.
Graphical Abstract