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. 2021 Jul 31;13(15):2561. doi: 10.3390/polym13152561

Table 1.

Overview of the main proteins in some animal co-products.

Co-Product Main
Protein
Protein (%) Extraction Functionality Application
Blood Plasma proteins (albumin, fibrinogen, and globulin) and red blood cells (hemoglobin) 18.5
  • Using evaporators for producing whole blood.

  • Blood can be also treated with anticoagulant agents and then separated into plasma proteins and red blood cells via centrifugation.

Emulsifying, stabilizer, clarifier, color additive, water and fat binder Blood sausages, blood pudding, biscuits, and bread
Heart, liver, lungs, tongue, spleen, meat residues from canning Myofibrillar proteins Heart (17)
Liver (19)
Lung (15)
Spleen (17.9)
Tongue (16.3)
  • Using denaturing solutions containing urea, thiourea, reducing agents such as dithiothreitol and beta-mercaptoethanol, detergents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate, and salts.

  • Acid or alkaline solubilization followed by isoelectric precipitation method.

  • Surimi processing which is based on washing the minced meat to remove the water-soluble proteins, enzymes, blood, and minerals that lead to higher concentration of myofibrillar proteins. In order to increase the protein stability, the product is mixed with a cryoprotectant.

Viscosity and creaminess, Mild water binding and good cooking yield, Emulsifying and foaming Braised, cooked in liquid, luncheon meat, patty, loaf,
broiled, fried, in loaf, patty and sausage, Blood preparations, pet food, Fried, in pies, Cooked in liquid, cured, sausage casing,
Feathers, hair, wools, horns and hoofs, nails, Keratin Feathers (82)
Wool (95)
Horns (93.3)
  • Chemical methods (oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis), microbial and enzymatic treatment, supercritical water and steam explosion, and microwave irradiation are the main extraction methods for keratin.

  • During the oxidizing method the disulfide bonds oxidize into sulfonic acid using an oxidizing agent. Therefore, a hydrophilic keratin is produced that dissolves the hair.

  • In reducing method micelles in surfactants are used to protect the keratin and avoid oxidation and precipitation during the process. This method leads into keratin with a higher Mw and dissolubility.

  • In hydrolysis method a strong base (sodium hydroxide) is used to break down the disulfide bonds between molecules and decompose the peptide chain which leads to polypeptides with low Mw.

Film forming ability, scaffolds and hydrogels, drug release application Food industry, cosmetics, biomedical application, textile, biofertilizing
Hides, skins, Bones, fish cartilage, fish scales, ears Collagen Hide and skins (30–35)
Bones (50)
Fish scales (41–81)
Ear (22.3)
  • Preliminary washing, cleaning, and separation of the animal parts, size reduction by mincing or cutting samples.

  • Mild chemical pre-treatment to increase the efficiency of the extraction and eliminate non-collagenous materials

  • Alkali or acid treatment to break down the cross-linked collagen before the extraction as collagen exist in cross-linked form in the connective tissue of animals.

Gelling, water and fat binding, emulsifying, and stabilizer Athletic equipment, reformed sausage casing and cosmetic products, sausage skins, edible gelatin and glue
Jelly, pickled, cooked in liquid, boiled, fried