Gelatin is a heterogeneous mixture of water-soluble proteins of high average molecular masses, present in collagen. Proteins are extracted by boiling the relevant skin, tendons, ligaments, bones, etc. in water. Type A gelatin is derived from acid-cured tissue. Type B is derived from lime-cured tissue. This is a hydrocolloid and is rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, which imparts structural stability. It is synthesized from the alkaline digestion of collagen from bovine skin and is referred as type B. Gelatin has wide applications in food industry.
[1] It takes up random coil structure after digestion from the triple helical collagen.
[2] The most common source for industrial production of gelatin is slaughter byproducts. The type A gelatin and type B differ in their isoelectric pH.
[3] This product is recommended for use as a cell culture substratum at 1-5 μg/cm
2 or 0.5-50 μg/mL. The optimal concentration does depend on cell type as well as the application and research objective.