Abstract
Gelatin from bovine hide, especially yak hide, is valued in the food and pharmaceutical industries; however, as the most common domestic cattle in China, gelatin made from yellow cattle hide remains unexplored. Thus, the physicochemical properties, nutritional components, and flavor characteristics of gelatin produced from yellow cattle hides and yak hides, both before and after hair removal, were analyzed. It was found that yellow cattle hide gelatin (YCHG) not only had a higher protein content (68.45-71.51%) than yak hide gelatin (YHG) (66.81-67.56%) but also had a higher Fe content (86.75 ± 1.650 mg/kg). Additionally, 17 amino acids were detected in the four bovine hide gelatin samples; among them, dehaired yellow cattle hide gelatin (DYCHG) was richer in sweet-tasting amino acids than the others. Notably, non-dehaired yellow cattle hide gelatin (NDYCHG) featured 4-methyl-3-penten-2-one (with a honey aroma), whereas non-dehaired yak hide gelatin (NDYHG) featured β-pinene, 1-nonanal, acetic acid-D, (E)-2-pentenal, and allyl sulfide. Therefore, yellow cattle hide gelatin (YCHG) exhibits prominent nutritional and flavor properties, suggesting its potential as an alternative raw material for food industry applications.