Experimental Observations About Improving the Properties of Collagen Extracts for Applications in Agriculture

This study highlights the fact that some properties of collagen extracts obtained by thermo-chemical and enzymatic processes from leather by-products may be modified and corrected during concentration or filtration operations in order to achieve performance specific to applications in agriculture (seed, soil and plant treatment in various phases of vegetation), as an alternative to treatment using synthetic substances. Concentration of collagen hydrolysates at atmospheric pressure leads to polydispersions with high molecular weights favourable to structuring collagen films, that will gradually release organic nitrogen, for plant nutrition in various vegetation stages. Concentration under vacuum results in polydispersions with low molecular weights, richer in free amino acids and oligopeptides that can penetrate cell membranes. Also, filtration under vacuum using low-porosity membranes (0.45-0.80 mm) determines deagglomeration, selection and concentration of particles with sizes ranging from 1 to 10 nm and from 10 to 100 nm, characteristic to amino acids and dipeptides, into filtrates.