A promising use of collagen substances in the manufacturing of personal hygiene means

There were performed studies of the interaction of collagen of freshwater fish with water to determine the prospects for its use as an absorbent layer of personal care products, a method for treating freshwater fish skins for obtaining a material with an increased water-absorbing capacity has been developed; thermal stability, allergenic properties of this material have been studied; toxicity tests have been carried out. Methods of thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, spectroscopy in the visible and ultraviolet region of the spectrum of light waves were used. Allergenicity was determined by the method of cutaneous applications, toxicity — according to State Standards. The most part of moisture was shown to be bound by adsorption or osmotic pathways, only 7% of moisture bound by the samples is retained in the capillaries. The sufficiently high binding energies of about 4 J/mol suggest the ability of the functional groups of fish collagen to create a powerful hydrated membrane. For the loosening of the material, sequential treatment of fish skin in weak solutions of alkalis and organic acids is suggested, after which the swelling capacity reflecting the moisture capacity of the material rises by almost 10 times and amounts to 30 g per 1 g of dry matter. The aggregation of polydisperse systems of processed collagen in the temperature range of 38°-46°, which can lead to a decrease in moisture capacity with an increase in temperature to these values, is found. The obtained material has no allergic neither toxic effects. As a result of the studies, it was shown that collagen of freshwater fish, modified by treatment in alkali and organic acid solutions, can be used as a material for the absorbent layer of personal care products under the condition of sparing temperature regimes during their manufacture.