Collagen in Cephalopods: An Overview of Its Physicochemical Properties and Influence on Muscle Texture

Muscle texture, which plays an important role in the acceptability and commercialization of seafood products, can be affected by collagen, the principal component of connective tissue in animals. In recent years, research in food science and technology has focused on how the physicochemical properties of collagen and cross-linking indicators affect the muscular texture of cephalopods; nonetheless, to date there are no reviews addressing these issues together. Information has been gathered on the physicochemical characterization and the collagen cross-linking level from the main cephalopods, founding a close interdependence with the structural characteristic of their muscle. As a conclusion, it is suggested that the texture of cephalopods is tougher than that of other marine organisms because their muscle fibers are covered by more extensively crosslinked connective tissue; therefore, the muscle is more stable during post-catch handling, such as during heating, freezing, and other processes that affect the quality of their meat.