Isolation and characterization of pepsin-solubilized collagen from the integument of sea cucumber (Stichopus vastus)

BACKGROUND: Sea cucumber (Stichopus vastus) is considered an underutilized resource, since only its stomach and intestines are eaten raw as salad in a few countries and the remaining parts, especially the integument rich in collagen, is discarded. Hence a valuable by-product having potential nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications is wasted. In the present investigation, pepsin-solubilized collagen (PSC) from the integument of S. vastus was isolated, purified and characterized. RESULTS: Sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis showed that the purified collagen was of type I, consisting of three 1 chains of approximately 122 kDa each. The peptide map of PSC digested by V8 protease was different from that of calf skin type I collagen. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the triple helical structure was well preserved in isolated collagen. The denaturation temperature of PSC was 21.23 degrees C and showed good gel-forming capability at pH 6.5 and 300 mmol L1 NaCl. CONCLUSION: It is inferred that the collagen isolated from S. vastus integument has potential for use as an alternative to land-based mammalian collagen in food, nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical industries. (c) 2012 Society of Chemical Industry