Valorization of chicken deboner residues: Gelatin extraction and its application for jellies and films

In recent decades, global food industry waste has significantly increased, with food waste categorized into human consumption and non-edible industrial by-products, including animal by-products. This study aims to reduce these by-products by repurposing chicken tissue for gelatin extraction. The gelatin extraction process from mechanically deboned chicken meat residues was optimized using food enzymes, and the physicochemical and rheological properties of the gelatins were analyzed. Temperature and extraction time, as independent factors, were examined using the Taguchi experimental design. Under optimal conditions, the resulting gelatins exhibited high gel strength (196 – 353 Bloom) and viscosity (3.2 – 7.6 mPa·s), making them suitable for gelling agents in jelly confectioneries. Furthermore, low Bloom-value chicken gelatins were used to create edible films, and tests on their sorption and desorption behavior revealed temperature- and humidity-dependent characteristics, with improved plasticity and reduced sorption hysteresis at higher temperatures. This environmentally friendly processing technology for mechanically deboned chicken meat residues aligns with zero-waste principles.