Octopus Skins as a Source of Gelatin: Preparation, Evaluation and Utilization.

The octopus is a soft-bodied marine organism from the phylum Mollusca and kingdom Animalia. It is found in the rock and sand about 100–150 meters deep. Fish wastes are inadequate amounts and sizes of fish to guarantee sales, and un-edible parts such as ink, mucus, viscera, and skins have low commercial value. In many countries, throwing away or disposing of fish waste incurs unnecessary costs. The current study aimed to utilize octopus skin as a source of gelatin. Octopus skins are a good source of gelatin. Gelatin was extracted from octopus skins by five different treatments, namely acid, alkali, lime, direct extraction, and combined extraction, and the yield was 1.76 %, 10.32%, 1.43%, 1.12%, and 6.85%, respectively. Regarding chemical and physical properties, alkali and combined treatment gelatin were superior to other gelatins and compared with commercial bovine gelatin. Extracted gelatin was applied to prepare orange jelly and Rosella candy. Finally, Octopus skin gelatin with good physical-chemical properties can be a potential alternative to commercial bovine gelatin and be useful as an additive in various food applications. Therefore, recycling octopus skins into marketable products can reduce the amount of waste generated.