Effect of water content on electrical conductivity of fish skin collagen

The increased interest in fish skin collagen results from the risk of BSE disease and the production of native collagen by the acidic hydration method. As a material, FSC derived by the novel acidic hydration method was used. The bovine Achilles tendon (BAT) collagen type I was applied as a control material. Measurements were carried out at the temperature range 2980 K–510 K. Each sample was heated twice. During the first heating run for FSC, to 380 K, the maximum was localized at 343 K, at electrical conductivity of 7 · 10−6 S/m. In the second heating run to 510 K, the maximum was observed at 443 K for FSC, and at 487 K for BAT collagen. The peaks revealed in the temperature range 320–350 K were related to the free water and bound water release, alike for FSC and BAT collagen. The process of water removal for both types of collagen takes place in similar temperature ranges.