Fish scale collagen. Preparation and partial characterization

Fish scale was decalcified and disaggregated and then collagen was prepared by limited pepsin digestion. The yields of collagens were very high on a dry weight basis; sardine 50.9%, red sea bream 37.5% and Japanese sea bass 41.0%, respectively. These scale collagens were heterotrimers with a chain composition of ((alpha)1)2(alpha)2. Although the denaturation temperature of the collagen was lower than land animal collagen, fish scales will have potential as an important collagen source for use in various industries.