Gastrointestinal delivery of codfish skin-derived collagen hydrolysates:deep eutectic solvent extraction and bioactivity analysis

• Published in: Food Research International
• Main Authors: Silva, Isa, Vaz, Bárbara M. C., Sousa, Sérgio, Pintado, Maria Manuela, Coscueta, Ezequiel R., Ventura, Sónia P. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Codfish skin; Deep eutectic solvents; Marine collagen; Bioactive peptides; Colon delivery; Fishery byproducts; Nutraceutical release; Atlantic codfish; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://ciencia.ucp.pt/en/publications/e37d387e-3001-4b41-a4b9-7b64afb54d93; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113729; https://ciencia.ucp.pt/ws/files/89658578/89407508.pdf; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178567050&partnerID=8YFLogxK; http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/43244

The fishing industry produces substantial by-products, such as heads, skins, bones, and scales, rich in collagen—a prevalent protein in these materials. However, further application of deep eutectic solvent-based extraction remains unexplored. In this study, we extracted collagen with urea: propanoic acid mixture (U:PA; 1:2) with a 2.2% yield, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis with alcalase for 120 min. The resulting bioactive peptides demonstrated notable antioxidant activity (961 µmol TE) and antihypertensive properties (39.3% ACE inhibition). Subsequently, we encapsulated 39.3% of these hydrolysates in chitosan-TPP capsules, which released about 58% of their content, primarily in the intestine, as mimicked in the in vitro model of the gastrointestinal tract. Although the digestion process did not significantly alter the size of the non-encapsulated collagen peptides, it did influence their health benefits. The promising results suggest that further research could optimize the use of collagen from fish by-products, potentially offering a sustainable source for health products.