A High-Throughput Microwave-Assisted Microplate Assay for Total Collagen Analysis in Meat Products

<title>Abstract</title> <p> A microwave-assisted hydrolysis method combined with a microplate reader technique (Mw-Mp = Microwave–asissted hydrolysis – Microplate Assay) was developed to enable simple and rapid determination of total collagen content in meat products in place of the conventional NMKL-AOAC spectrophotometric method, characterized as labor-intensive and requiring large amounts of chemicals. After method validation, the total collagen content in 60 commercial meat products (including sausages, salamis, sucuk, döner, and meatballs) was analyzed using both the standard NMKL-AOAC hydroxyproline method and the proposed Mw-Mp method. The Mw-Mp method yielded results comparable to the standard protocol ( <italic>R</italic> ^{<italic>2</italic>}  = 0.99), demonstrating satisfactory validation parameters: a 98% recovery rate, repeatability ( <italic>RSD</italic> _{<italic>r</italic>} ) of 3.26–4.66%, and reproducibility ( <italic>RSD</italic> _{<italic>R</italic>} ) of 4.89–6.82%. Additionally, the Mw-Mp method waste proved to be practical and efficient, offering reduced hydrolysis time, lower reagent consumption, and minimized chemical generation. Consequently, the Mw-Mp method represents a reliable, sustainable, and high-throughput alternative for routine collagen determination in meat products. </p>