Rousselot restructures business to capitalize on collagen and gelatin market demand

27 Sep 2019 --- Rousselot, a Darling Ingredients global business and producer of collagen-based solutions, will reorganize its brands and products into three new segments: Rousselot Health & Nutrition, Rousselot Biomedical and Rousselot Functional Ingredients. This move will support Rousselot’s evolving portfolio in line with market demand and needs as collagen-based solutions continue to gain traction.

“The growing success of collagen-solutions in the health space has led to a natural diversification of the marketing offer. Our team of scientists has been working on developing the potential of the collagen molecule for years now. As the market becomes more educated about the myriad of applications of collagen solutions, it is crucial, from our point of view, to make sure every segment receives adequate attention, R&D and production resources,” Caroline Brochard-Garnier, Global Communications Manager at Rousselot, tells NutritionInsight.

As the market space continues to change, Rousselot is repositioning itself in these growing categories to develop solutions that meet the latest consumer trends and preferences. The new segment organization will provide a better infrastructure to keep servicing Rousselot’s customers with the operational excellence, says Jos Vervoort, Executive Vice President at Rousselot. “At the same time, it will allow us to explore the potential of this extraordinary molecule further, even in unexplored fields,” he adds.

Rousselot Health & Nutrition will focus on providing health benefits and improving public health. This is through ingredients answering the demand for solutions with fully proven efficacy, full safety and premium quality. The segment will also include scientific results, formulation and regulatory advice. Rousselot’s range of products includes Peptan collagen peptides, Peptan IIm to support joint health and mobility, and ProTake for protein enrichment.

Rousselot Biomedical builds on Rousselot’s knowledge of the pharmaceutical sector and is the most recent strategic segment. It aims to advance medical science with X-Pure, a range of purified gelatins and collagens that relate to performance, quality and safety for (bio)medical applications.

Finally, Rousselot Functional Ingredients centers around standard and specialty gelatin, a clean label ingredient that provides functional advantages. These safe and sustainably-sourced products are created for the food, pharmaceutical and technical industries.

“The new business organization provides a clear direction to all stakeholders. As collagen-solutions specialists, we can have very open conversations with our customers and prospects for our shared goals, which leads to fruitful collaborations to meet market demands,” Brochard-Garnier continues.

The collagen molecule leads to many different products, each one offering diverse properties and functionalities.The company is also launching a new website and logo to reflect the new strategic direction of “expanding horizons while remaining loyal to its core of maximizing the potential of collagen.”

Powerful potential
Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and can be found in nature in various forms. Depending on its origin and processing methods, the collagen molecule leads to many different products, each one offering diverse properties and functionalities, and bringing specific advantages to many applications.

Brochard-Garnier notes that gelatin and collagen play a key role in biomaterials research and that the regenerative medicine market is growing exponentially. “There is a growing need for this kind of product as it is designed by nature and has unique acceptance levels in the body. Similarly, low-endotoxin gelatins are extremely valuable in hemostatic applications for their purity and foaming properties.”

Following the launch of Peptan IIm for joint health applications, the company’s scientists in the health and nutrition segment are investigating further into the potential of collagen and its derivatives in this field. “We expect collagen-based products to offer similar benefits in a different form or even different health benefits,” she continues.

Biomedical applications is a relatively new area for Rousselot. “Our long-standing expertise in the pharmaceutical industry has already qualified us as we produce gelatin within the safety conditions and at the quality and regulatory standards needed in this sector. Meanwhile, in the area of regenerative medicine, we will be looking into applications such as 3D printing, wound healing, delivery forms, stem culturing, submicron particle and a number of customized products with selected partners,” details Brochard-Garnier.

Earlier this week, a study endorsed by Rousselot found that collagen peptides can improve overall bone health by simultaneously targeting bone formation and bone resorption. Another study saw results implying that BioCell Collagen can visibly reduce common signs of skin aging in women.

Although there is a major potential for collagen solutions, further scientific exploration and categorization of these benefits are still needed, according to Brochard-Garnier. “Collagen solutions have been surprising us for decades, and there's reason to think they will keep surprising us – whether it’s in health and nutrition, functional ingredients or biomedical applications.”

By Katherine Durrell