Gelatin, which is mainly derived from bovine and porcine sources, has been used in many foods and pharmaceutical products.

Colla corii asini hydrolysates (ACCH) and ginkgo biloba extracts (EGb) possess more potent antioxidant effects when used in combination than when used alone. The mixture of ACCH and EGb at a dose ratio of 20:4(w:w) showed the highest radical scavenging activity with IC 50 of 0.17 ± 0.01, 0.43 ± 0.02 and 1.52 ± 0.07 mg/ml against DPPH, ABTS and HO · free radicals, respectively. Furthermore, the inhibition of breast cancer cells MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 proliferation increased when these cell lines were treated with a combination of ACCH and EGb for 72 hr, with IC 50 of 4.32 ± 0.12 mg/ml and 0.39 ± 0.01 mg/ml, respectively. The findings indicated that the mixtures of ACCH and EGb could be used to prevent and treat some diseases caused by the excessive free radicals, especially cancer. Therefore, the mixtures of ACCH and EGb might serve as a natural source of desirable antioxidant and anticancer agents for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.

No abstract

Gelatin, a natural functional material obtained from animal connective tissues, has been broadly applied in health-related products such as food, pharmacy, and cosmetic. But unclear labelling and false information of animal origin of gelatin in those products would violate religious rules and increase public health risks. Recently, animal origin identification of gelatin-based products has drawn more and more concerns. Among various identification methods, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has specifically become a research hotspot for animal origin identification and quantitative analysis of gelatin-based products due to its superior reliability, selectivity, and sensitivity. The main desideratum of the current treatise is to review the recent progress on this subject with respect to: (1) the identification of animal in halal gelatin-based products, (2) the determination of the authenticity of gelatinous medicines from animal, especially from the highly homologous family species, and (3) the quantification of gelatin in gelatin-based products, using LC-MS method. We hope that this review could provide theoretical guidance and advanced strategies for developing animal origin identification technologies for gelatin-based products.