Collagen calling: Minding the gap in beauty-from-within and mobility trends

20 Dec 2022 ---- Advances in formats, applications, sourcing and sustainable practices in the collagen space took center stage at the FiE and HiE 2022 trade show and are driving innovations as the mobility and beauty-from-within trends continue. 

NutritionInsight speaks with industry professionals and experts from Gelita AG, Rousselot BV and BioCell Technology about innovations and trends in the collagen realm.

“Collagen itself is one of the hottest trends in the food and supplement market,” explains Oliver Wolf, head of global B2B marketing at Gelita. “The application areas and the vast effects of collagen for our body is only partly discovered so far.” 

“Therefore, Gelita is continuing to invest strongly in science to identify the health benefits of bioactive collagen peptides (BCPs) and, accordingly, our portfolio will continue to grow,” he continues. “In 2023, another member of the BCP family will be launched.”

Gelita’s Verisol has been shown to rescue wrinkles and increase skin elasticity.Douglas Jones, global sales and marketing manager at BioCell Technology, explains that BioCell collagen is unique as it is a true bioactive with “our source material being chicken sternal cartilage – our final material is actually a matrix of hydrolyzed collagen type two peptides, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate.”

“We are featuring this year, our innovation corner, where we are showing some of the applications that we work on in our labs all over the world, and also some of the end products that our customers can create and formulate with collagen peptides,” says Florencia Moreno Torres, global business manager at Rousselot.

Finding the source
The companies agree that one of the most significant factors driving collagen innovation is the appeal to both the younger and aging demographics, even in the area of mobility. Torres revealed that Rousselot has dubbed this year “the year of mobility” and partnered with science communicator and lifestyle physician Dr. J. W. Langer to help advise on mobility and active lifestyles.

“Everybody knows that moving the body, being physically active, is essential for health,” says Langer. “What they don’t know is that you also have to provide the building blocks for the skeleton, for the joints, for the tendons and for the muscles. It’s very good to conduct light- or high-intensity exercise, but you also have to take care of your diet.”

“So what do people do?” Langer asks rhetorically. “They eat more plant-based, they cut down on meat, they eat a lot of vegetables, they add on some fish, and that’s very good, but they forget that our main source of collagen – the protein that builds up our body bit of our tendons and joints and bones – is only found in the animal food.”BioCell Technology says that its product combines hyaluronic acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen 2 and chondroitin sulfate.

Dr. Langer explains that fish skin gives about 3 g of collagen. However, he states that he recommends people take about 8 to 10 g of collagen as a supplement. According to Langer, this reveals the need for extra supplementation even if a person is “eating smart.” 

Additionally, Wolf notes that there are other solutions brewing to this problem and that non-animal-based ingredients are gaining interest.

Gelita realized this trend early and set up the Gelita Biotech Hub in Germany to research how collagen can be produced by biotechnology and no longer requires animal-based resources. “Results are promising so far, and we expect the first products on the market in a few years,” Wolf elaborates.

Moreover, he states that, “There is a difference between plant-derived and biotech-derived or so-called recombinant products. Biotech-derived products use the genetic code of a plant or an animal to produce certain molecules such as proteins or antioxidants. Both plant-based as well as biotech-derived products have in common that they are non-animal.”

Products such as Fortigel, Fortibone and Tendoforte promote joint cartilage recovery for better mobility, improves bone density and keeps ligaments and tendons elastic resulting in lower injury risks for athletes.

Unlocking beauty
Jones notes that, just before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, BioCell Technology published a clinical trial he says has really fueled the company’s expansion into the beauty-from-within category.

“There’s been absolutely no question, you know, that as everyone particularly has moved from working in the office to working in a Zoom or team-based environment, that facial appearance is something that everyone looks at and works with every day,” Jones explains. “So consumers globally are looking for evidence-based products that can provide them with in-home solutions.”Rousselot featured beverages with 10 g of Peptan collagen per serving.

Wolf elaborated on Gelita’s offerings in this space, noting that its product Verisol is known to support healthy, elastic skin and reduce wrinkles. 

“With the new Verisol HST, customers can create beauty gummies that deliver the recommended daily dose of 2.5 g of Verisol in only three gummies. The product stimulates collagen metabolism in the skin for more elasticity and reduced wrinkles,” he says.

Forging functionality
At the trade show, the companies had several concept ideas showcasing functionality and format innovations.

Torres states: “This year, we are featuring beverages, so we have a mix of orange juice and lime juice with Peptan. On top of that, we have other applications that range from waffles to collagen waters which are starting to become more and more popular in the market.”

“Collagen is also a very good ingredient if you want to formulate high-protein bars because it works very nicely together with whey protein and with how much protein you can actually pack in the bar,” she concludes. “On top of that, we are also featuring fruity treats with Colartix, which only needs one gram to achieve the daily dosage.”

By William Bradford Nichols