Effects of ultrasonic treatment on collagen extraction from skins of the sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus

In this study we investigated the effects of ultrasonic wave treatment on the extraction yield of acid-soluble collagen from sea bass skins. Two extraction methods were compared: a 24 h acid treatment using 0.5 M acetic acid (1:200 sample/acid, w/v) and an extraction using ultrasonic treatment after the addition of a 0.5 M acetic acid solution. The results indicated that the extraction yield of collagen increased with the ultrasonic treatment, with the extraction rate increasing rapidly at higher amplitudes of ultrasonic treatment. The subunit compositions of the collagen extracted by ultrasonic treatment were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which revealed that the α1(α3), α2, and β chains of collagen were present early in the ultrasonic treatment. An unknown component, believed to be a product of collagen degradation induced by the ultrasonic treatment, was detected only after a longer treatment time. The component extracted by the ultrasonic treatment was determined to be collagen based on the finding that there were no changes in the main components of collagen, specifically, the α1(α3), α2, and β chains, following pepsin treatment.