Abstract

In order to gain information on the effect of surface active agents (surfactants) on collagen we have studied the shrinkage temperature (Ts) of bovine Achilles tendon and of the corium of bovine hides in the presence of different surfactants at various pH values. A non-ionic, a cationic and an anionic agent were tested as well of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The results show that the lyotropic effect of such agents is strongly dependent on pH. Non-ionic detergent and PEG may be as aggressive as ionic types according to pH. It also appears that ionic detergents have a greater lyotropic effect when both collagen and the ionic surfactant bear the same charge, which suggests that there is no correlation between the affinity of the agent and collagen and the lyotropic effect.