• Common eland
• extraction conditions
• rheological properties
• skin gelatin

Gelatin is a polymer used in pharmaceuticals and food industries. In Europe, the primary source of gelatin is pig skin, but there is a growing demand for alternative sources. The research evaluates the structure and gelling, filming characteristics of gelatine from the skin of the common eland (Taurotragus oryx). The main objective was to evaluate the effect of alkaline and acid treatments. In addition, the phenolic content was evaluated for the films loaded with essential oil.
Eland skin was treated with acid (acetic acid 5%) and alkaline (calcium hydroxide 2%) solutions, followed by neutralization, heating and freeze-drying. The highest yield (5.25%) was obtained by acid pretreatment. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that type A gelatin (commercial and extracted) had a more uniform protein distribution than type B gelatin, with visible bands at the β and α1, α2 chains. Rheological analysis performed at different concentrations (3, 5 and 6.67%) showed higher G' values for acid-treated extracted gelatin (EG-A), indicating better gelling capacity. Textural analysis (TPA) and compressive strength confirmed that EG-A possesses superior texture and hardness parameters, demonstrating better gel and film quality. The films derived from type A gelatin were found to be stiffer than those of type B, with a slight increase in hardness as the essential oil increased. Phenolic content, determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu test, confirmed a potential improvement in shelf-life of packaged food products. The study aims to evaluate the structure and functionality of gelatin extracted from alternative sources, considering its potential use in different industrial sectors to address religious consumption issues related to pig and cow sources.