Gelatin is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from boiled bones, hides and skin, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of domesticated animals like cattle, pigs and horses. The natural molecular bonds between individual collagen strands are broken down into a form that rearranges more easily. The raw material used for the extraction of collagen is pretreated by acid or alkali. Acid treatment is especially suitable for less crosslinked materials such as pig skin collagen whereas alkali treatment is suitable for more complex collagen such as the collagen found in bovine hides. The gelatin obtained from acid treated raw material has been called type-A gelatin, and the gelatin obtained from alkali treated raw material is referred to as type-B gelatin.

Gelatin is widely used in cell culture for coating the cell culture plates and flasks to improve the cell attachment for certain types of cells. In microbiology gelatin is used as a media component to determine the gelatinolysis by bacteria. It is also used as a delivery vehicle for the release of bioactive molecules, as a blocking agent in ELISA and other immunochemistry assays. Gelatin’s industrial applications include medicine capsules, photographic plate coatings, and dying and tanning supplies.

BCL059 is a sterile filtered 2% solution of Gelatin from bovine skin prepared in tissue culture grade water. Gelatin is generally used in cell culture applications at a concentration of 0.1%.