If the capsules get wet enough, they dissolve. Even out of the rain, they eventually absorb enough atmospheric water to become an excellent growth medium for bacteria and fungi. These organisms will digest the gelatin using proteolytic enzymes (biological catalysts that cut long protein chains into shorter pieces).
Copyright © 1997-2010 by Fred Senese
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Last Revised 02/23/18.URL: http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/environmental/faq/print-soft-gelatin-degradation.shtml