| abstract |
A process for recovering native collagen fromnfleshed or non-fleshed animal hide or skin comprises thensteps of (a) comminuting hide or skin to a particle sizenpreferably below 1 mm, (b) suspending the comminuted hide innan aqueous alkaline medium with pH = 8-12, (c) adding a proteasen(preferably an endoprotease or an endopeptidase) tonthis suspension, which does not degrade the native collagen,noptionally together with alkali metal metabisuLphite, (d)nacidifying the suspension (preferably to a pH = 5-6), (e)nseparating off the native collagen as a solid phase, (f) resuspendingnthe solid phase in water for disinfection and furthernpurification, (g) disinfecting (with hydrogen peroxide,nozone or hypochiorite) and further purifying this suspension,n(h) separating off the disinfected and purified native collagennas a solid phase, during which process the temperature isnkept below 35 C, preferably at 23-30 C. Also native collagennprepared by this process and its use in meat products, or waternbinding agent or texture improving agent in meat products,nas well as food casings, sausage casings, films, fibresnor shaped products at least partially consisting of thennative collagen obtainable by the process of the inventionnhave been described. |