The thermal properties of amorphous gelatin films and gelatin films with renatured structural order were measured by using conventional and temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Different amounts of gelatin structural order associated with a melting enthalpic change in the DSC measurement were prepared based on different gelatin drying conditions. Two consecutive heating and cooling DSC measurements on the gelatin films showed that there was no change in the glass-transition temperature (T-g) for the amorphous gelatin but there was a decrease in the T-g for the structural gelatin on the second DSC scan. This decrease was attributed to the plasticizing effect from the release of originally hydrogen-bonded water associated with the structural gelatin. In addition, a reversing endotherm observed upon melting of the structural gelatin during a temperature modulated DSC measurement indicated that the transition of bound water to free water occurred as the partial triple-helix gelatin melted. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.