Bovine split hide is the subcutis layer with the low percentage of collagen so that the quality
of the gelatin is different from that of the gelatin from cattle’s skin. This study aims to improve
the characteristics of bovine split hide gelatin combined with soy protein isolate (SPI) using
transglutaminase (TGase) enzyme as a protein cross-linking agent. The study was conducted using
a completely randomized design with 3 x 3 factorial pattern consisting of three levels of a mixture
of bovine split hide gelatin : SPI at the ratios of 90 : 10, 80 : 20, 70 : 30, and three concentrations of
transglutaminase enzyme, i.e. 10, 20, and 30 U. The results showed that treatments significantly
affected viscosity, gel strength, the moisture, ash, fat, and protein content of gelatin. Electrophoresis
of gelatin protein showed bands distribution between 60-190 kDa. The amino acid profile of the
gelatin was similar to that of collagen with a high level of aspartate, glutamate, cysteine, and proline.
Morphology of gelatin was observed by Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) and showed a compact
distributed collagen crosslink. The combination of gelatin bovine split hide and SPI at the ratio of 90 :
10 provides the best physicochemical characteristic.