Collagen peptide fractions from tilapia (Oreochromis aureus Steindachner, 1864) scales: Chemical characterization and biological activity

This research project was focused on the isolation of compounds from natural sources and their chemical characterization and biological activity were evaluated. Tilapia is a popular fish and large amounts of byproducts are generated from its industrialization. Considering the abundance of this waste and its low value-added uses, collagen can be recovered at low costs. Collagen has low toxicity, good compatibility, biodegradability, and functional properties in foods. Thus, industrial byproducts could be considered as a valuable source for the recovery of collagen and the isolation of collagen peptides. In this work, fish scales were used to isolate hydrolyzed collagen using papain. Two fractions of collagen peptides were separated: F1 (5–10 kDa peptides) and F2 (<5 kDa peptides) through molecular weight cut-offs to evaluate the biological activity improvement.