Isolation and Characterisation of Acid Soluble Collagens and Pepsin Soluble Collagens from Eel (Anguilla japonica Temminck et Schlegel) Skin and Bone

Eel (<i>Anguilla japonica</i>) is an important and valuable food fish in East Asia and its by-products have been reported to include bioactive and profitable components. This study aimed to extract, characterise, and compare the structure and properties of acid-soluble collagens (ASCs) and pepsin-soluble collagens (PSCs) from the skin and bone of eel (<i>Anguilla japonica</i>), providing insights into their composition, structure, and properties for various applications. The yields of ASC-S (from skin), PSC-S (from skin), ASC-B (from bone), and PSC-B (from bone) were 12.16%, 15.54%, 0.79%, and 1.34% on a dry weight basis, respectively. Glycine, the dominant amino acid, accounted for 16.66% to 22.67% of total amino acids in all samples. SDS-PAGE and FTIR analyses showed the typical triple-helical structure of type I collagen with slight variations in molecular order in extract and intermolecular cross-linking between skin and bone collagens. The denaturation temperature (<i>T_max1</i>) measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is 81.39 °C and 74.34 °C, respectively, for ASC-B and ASC-S. Bone collagen has higher thermal resistance than skin collagen. Surface morphology imaged using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the bone collagen had a denser network structure, whilst the skin collagen was more fibrous and porous. The findings suggest that eel-derived collagens from skin and bone can serve as potential alternatives in the food, cosmetic, and healthcare industries.