Crystallization and melting of aqueous gelatin

Abstract

SynopsisGelation and melting of aqueous gelatin were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. This phenomenon can be analyzed as a conventional crystallization process assuming predetermined primary nucleation and unidirectional growth. The results were interpreted in terms of the fringed micelle model. Calculated values of the diameter of the renatured collagen fibril were found in excellent agreement with those determined previously by electron microscopy.

Soft Collagen-Gelatine Sponges by Convection Drying

“…Similar melting temperatures for gelatine gels had been found by others (Michon et al 1997;Godard et al 1978) as well as in this study (data not shown). Godard et al (1978) described that the melting peak of gelatine gels sharpened with increasing setting time. Furthermore, the peak temperature increased when setting time or gelatine concentration were increased.…”

Physical Processes

“…The similarity is not surprising considering that the formation of the gel network junctions has been identified with the formation of microcrystallites in a wide variety of polymers [13,159], including gelatin [158,160]. For example, in gelatin gels, the microcrystallites are believed [13,161,162] to form via partial restoration of the triple helix structure characteristic of collagen that occurs via cooperative hydrogen bonding of gelatin coils.…”

“…The kinetics of physical gelation has been found [158] to be strikingly similar to that of polymer crystallization [93,94]. The similarity is not surprising considering that the formation of the gel network junctions has been identified with the formation of microcrystallites in a wide variety of polymers [13,159], including gelatin [158,160].…”

Multiple denaturational transitions in fibrillar collagen

“…The crystalline material in this case is the collagen helix and aggregates of helices, or fibrils. Godard et al 27 have applied polymer crystallization theory to the collagen-gelatin system and found the following relationship to hold:…”