The Structural Characteristics of Collagen in Swim Bladders with 25-Year Sequence Aging: The Impact of Age

Aged swim bladders from the yellow drum (Protonibea diacanthus) are considered collagen-based functional food with extremely high market value. The structural integrity of collagen may be crucial for its biological functions. In the current study, swim bladders with 25-year-old sequences were collected and found to be basically composed of collagen. Then, thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) were conducted to evaluate the integrity of the peptide chain and triple helix in the collagen. The structures of microfibers and fiber bundles were revealed with atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electrical microscopy (SEM), and optical spectroscopy. The collagens in the aged swim bladders were found to have similar thermal properties to those of fresh ones, but the relative content of the triple helixes was found to be negatively correlated with aging. The secondary structure of the remaining triple helix showed highly retained characteristics as in fresh swim bladders, and the microfibrils also showed a similar D-period to that of the fresh one. However, the fiber bundles displayed more compact and thick characteristics after years of storage. These results indicate that despite 25 years of aging, the collagen in the swim bladders was still partially retained with structures.