Beyond the Modification Degree: Impact of Raw Material on Physicochemical Properties of Gelatin Type A and Type B Methacryloyls

Abstract

Abstract Gelatin methacryloyl (acetyl) (GM(A)) is increasingly investigated for various applications in life sciences and medicine, for example, drug release or tissue engineering. Gelatin type A and type B are utilized for G A M(A) and G B M(A) preparation, but the impact of gelatin raw material on modification reaction and resulting polymer properties is rather unknown so far. Therefore, the degrees of modification (DMA) and physicochemical properties of five G A M(A) and G B M(A) derivatives are compared: The degrees of methacryloylation (0.32–0.98 mmol g −1 ) are indistinguishable for G A M(A) and G B M(A) as are the sol‐gel temperatures. Isoelectric points, solution viscosities, and hydrodynamic radii which are distinct for G A and G B, converge with increasing DMA. Interestingly, differences are measured for the storage moduli and equilibrium degrees of swelling of respective G A and G B derivative‐based hydrogels, in spite of their comparable DMA. This underlines the importance of GM(A) characterization beyond the modification degree.