In an era of escalating global meat demand, the livestock industry faces the challenge of underutilized by-products. With approximately 1.5 billion cattle and 1.29 billion sheep reported by FAOSTAT in 2021, a significant proportion of hides and skins are unfortunately diverted to landfills due to various factors, including quality concerns and market fluctuations. The Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) estimated that about 50% of these materials are discarded, posing economic and environmental issues.
This study addresses the urgent need for sustainable utilisation of these co-products, focusing on the production, characterisation, and potential applications of four distinct co-products based on collagen hydrolysate and gelatin derived from hides and skins. We employed several analytical approaches as follows:
Proximate Composition Analysis: Assessing basic nutritional and storage properties, including moisture, ash, lipid, and protein content.
Amino Acid Analysis: Profiling the amino acid panel is crucial for evaluating nutritional value and health benefits.
Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy: Providing insights into the functional groups and molecular interactions within the co-products.
Molecular Weight Distribution: Examining the size and structure of protein/peptides is pivotal for their functional properties and applications.
This poster presents the implications of our work in transforming livestock processing co-products into valuable and sustainable resources.