Abstract
Gelatin was extracted from the skins of camels (Camelus dromedarius) at three different ages (2.5, 4.5 and 7 years old) using heating and chemical pretreatment methods. The extraction process was conducted (after dehairing) by soaking the skins in 1.3 M calcium hydroxide for 48 h at room temperature (25 °C), followed by washing with water, neutralizing with 4% ammonium sulphate, then extracting with distilled water (1:3, w/v) at 75 °C for 3 h, followed by 90 °C for 2 h. The extracted gelatin was filtered by cheesecloth and centrifuged at 15,000 rpm and 30 °C for 5 min. The supernatant was dried in a ventilated oven at 60 °C for 24 h, producing a yellowish gelatin powder. The gelatin yield was 36.8–42.4% with properties such as gel bloom (72.08–122.87 g), melting point (18.4–21.6 °C) and gelling point (15.2–11.1 °C) that depended on the age of the camel. Gelling times at 5 °C ranged from 0.0 to 23.19 s, and viscosities ranged from 10.19 to 15.86 mPa s for camels of ages 2.5, 4.5 and 7 years. ATR-FTIR and DSC were also conducted. All results were compared to those of commercial bovine and fish gelatins. Based on the results obtained, camel skin is a promising source of gelatin that can be used in many different food and pharmaceutical products.
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•Gelatin was extracted from the skins of camels (Camelus dromedarius) using thermal and chemical pretreatment methods.•Skins were treated with calcium hydroxide followed by neutralizing with ammonium sulphate.•Gelatin yield was in the range of 36.8–42.4%.•The use of ammonium sulphate did not obscure the four characteristic FTIR peaks: amide A, amide I, amide II and amide III.