Physicochemical and thermal properties of pepsin‐ and acid‐soluble collagen isolated from the body wall of sea cucumbers ( Stichopus hermanni )

Abstract The main objective of this work was to characterize the acid‐soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin‐soluble collagen (PSC) from the body wall of the sea cucumber scientifically called, Stichopus hermanni . For the extraction of ASC and PSC, the pre‐treated sea cucumber body walls were subjected to 0.5 M acetic acid and 5 g L −1 pepsin, respectively. The yield of ASC (7.30% ± 0.30%) was found to be lower than the PSC (23.66% ± 0.15%), despite both ASC and PSC having similar chemical compositions except for the quantity of protein. The collagens produced from ASC and PSC show maximum peaks on ultraviolet–visible spectroscopic profiles at wavelengths of 230 and 235 nm, respectively, with no significant difference in the maximum temperature ( T max ) of the extracted ASC and PSC. The ASC's coloration was whiter than that of the PSC. As a result, the collagen obtained from the body wall of the sea cucumber showed promise for usage as a substitute for collagen derived from marine sources. Practical Application The two most popular methods of collagen extraction were acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis. To determine whether the extracted collagen is a suitable substitute for animal collagen in different industries, it is required to characterize its physicochemical qualities. This study discovered a new application for marine collagen in the food industry: The sea cucumber has collagen with a greater yield in pepsin extraction with good physicochemical qualities.