Comparative analysis of red skin Tilapia and bovine gelatins as halal alternatives in food industry

Abstract

Gelatin plays a vital role in the food industry, serving as a thickening agent, emulsifier, wetting agent, and stabiliser. However, conventional sources like mammalian gelatin pose health and societal issues, while poultry gelatin can present risks related to avian flu. Our work was motivated by recent studies focusing on alternative gelatin sources, which prompted further investigation. Our study aimed to extract gelatin from red-skin Tilapia and bovine sources. Both types of gelatin underwent pre-treatment using 0.2 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and 0.05 M acetic acid (CH3COOH) at 27ºC, followed by water extraction at 60°C for 3 hours. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis confirmed that the extracted gelatins exhibited peaks similar to commercial gelatin. The extracted fish gelatin (EFG) demonstrated superior gel strength compared to commercial fish gelatin (CFG), whereas commercial bovine gelatin (CBG) exhibited superior gel strength than extracted bovine gelatin (EBG). The protein content of EFG and EBG was comparable, but the fat content was significantly higher in EFG. The foaming capacity was also evaluated, with EFG showing greater capacity than EBG. Our work demonstrates excellent potential of alternative gelatin for usage in various applications and creates new opportunities for the food sector, particularly for halal food production.