Gelatin is widely used in food and pharmaceutical products. However, the addition of gelatin especially in food products becomes a controversial issue among Muslims due to its animal origin. Thus, the present study was aimed to detect and differentiate the origin of gelatin added in processed foods using a combination method of sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Porcine gelatin had exhibited 11 prominent polypeptides compared to bovine gelatin with 2 prominent polypeptides. Polypeptides of both gelatin sources at molecular weight ranged from 53 to 220 kDa can be used to differentiate between porcine and bovine gelatins using PCA. The efficiency in extracting gelatin from processed foods by different solutions was also evaluated. Extraction of gelatin in processed foods by cold acetone and deionised water had exhibited a similar polypeptide patterns, suggesting both solutions are suitable. The study indicated that approach of a simple gelatin extraction combined with SDS-PAGE and PCA, may provide robust information for gelatin species differentiation of processed foods.
The study was aimed to differentiate between porcine and bovine gelatines in adulterated samples by utilising sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) combined with principal component analysis (PCA). The distinct polypeptide patterns of 6 porcine type A and 6 bovine type B gelatines at molecular weight ranged from 50 to 220 kDa were studied. Experimental samples of raw gelatine were prepared by adding porcine gelatine in a proportion ranging from 5% to 50% (v/v) to bovine gelatine and vice versa. The method used was able to detect 5% porcine gelatine added to the bovine gelatine. There were no differences in the electrophoretic profiles of the jelly samples when the proteins were extracted with an acetone precipitation method. The simple approach employing SDS-PAGE and PCA reported in this paper may provide a useful tool for food authenticity issues concerning gelatine.