Research on extracting collagen from jellyfish using enzyme technology
Jellyfish is a low-level marine animal with a simple chemical structure of water and protein, of which 60% of protein in jellyfish’s body is collagen. Realizing the potential in exploiting and extracting collagen from jellyfish resources, Institute of Marine Resources and Environment, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology embarked on the project “Research on enzyme application technology in collagen production from jellyfish resources in Vietnam”.
Dr. Tran Manh Ha, the project’s leader said that the collagen from jellyfish had more advantages compared to other animals. With a large annual output, the project success will have potential to not only serve domestic demand but also export.
The research of the project aims to build a technological process to extract collagen from jellyfish using enzyme, which can be used in industrial scale towards providing a safe collagen source for the food processing, pharmacy and cosmetic industry.
Previous research on collagen extraction mainly used traditional chemical methods, using high concentrations of NaOH and HCL for hydrolysis, protein reduction and demineralization. Those methods have some disadvantages including environmental pollution. The application of enzyme technology promises many advantages: boosting productivity, increasing collagen quality, saving time and reducing environmental pollution.
From the initial studies, the research team of the Institute of Marine Resources and Environment has implemented and built the collagen extraction process at laboratory scale. From there, select ingredients to formulate functional food products in capsules. COLLAJELL products co-ordinated by the Institute of Marine Resources and Environment, NOVACO Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company and Dac Tin Pharmaceutical - Cosmetic Co., Ltd. have completed packaging construction and registered products for circulation.
TS. Pham The Thu, Secretary of the topic, presented the process of raw material selection and collagen extraction from jellyfish
Functional Food Product COLLAJELL
Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Van Quan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marine Resources and Environment, said that in the coming time, the Institute will continue to optimize the technological process, and build an extraction model with the scale of 1-2000 kg / batch. At the same time, to build basic standards for capsule products. “Research on processing technology to improve use value and economic value from jellyfish resources is very crucial. The selection of research direction to build technology to extract high-value substances for use in human life is a potential approach. The Institute of Marine Resources and Environment has always set a research orientation associated with reality” - Associate Professor Nguyen Van Quan emphasized.
Translated by Phuong Ha
Link to Vietnamese version