Webinar preview: Rousselot backs whey-collagen peptide blends for cost and nutrition

Due to the popularity of high-protein food and nutrition, the price of whey ingredients has gone up substantially in recent years, cautions Rousselot. Driven by these market restraints and an increasing awareness of collagen peptides and their benefits, the company notes that blending these ingredients can create “win-win formulations.” 

In addition, the company says that “the right blend” could offer joint support, promote holistic well-being, or metabolic wellness through effective post-meal glucose spike management and natural GLP-1 production. 

Ahead of Rousselot’s webinar “Whey & Collagen: The Protein Power Couple,” Nutrition Insight catches up with one of the company’s speakers, Florencia Moreno Torres, global marketing manager, to find out how whey protein and collagen peptide blends enable price optimization, formulation advantages, and additional health benefits.

Registration for the free webinar on July 2, at 8 PM CEST, is now open.

Moreno Torres tells us that the webinar will break down the whey price surge, what’s behind it, and how to turn it into an opportunity. “Participants will learn how, by pairing up their product developments with premium collagen peptides such as Peptan or Nextida GC, they can keep customers satisfied, strengthen their formulations, and maintain healthy margins.”

“Whey protein has long been recognized as the gold standard for muscle synthesis thanks to its complete amino acid profile and naturally high branched-chain amino acid content,” she continues. “However, whey lacks hydroxyproline — a key amino acid naturally abundant in collagen peptides and associated with connective tissue support and recovery.”

Moreno Torres pitches whey protein and collagen peptide blends as a response to rising whey prices.Moreover, Moreno Torres says that specific collagen peptides like Rousselot’s Peptan or Nextida GC can further enhance value and differentiation with added holistic or metabolic benefits.

She notes that combining these ingredients leverages their complementary strengths for healthier formulations.

Meeting market dynamics

The dramatic rise in whey protein costs in recent years is increasingly leaving brands with little choice but to pass these increases on to end consumers, says Moreno Torres.

“While this has been managed to some extent so far, projections indicate that maintaining stable prices for whey-based products will soon no longer be feasible — not even for large companies, and certainly not for smaller players.”

Therefore, she says that companies need new strategies to remain competitive. She suggests that partially replacing whey protein with alternatives like collagen peptides offers a promising approach that is likely to be better received by consumers than price increases or shrinkflation.

“This allows brands to reduce reliance on whey while simultaneously enhancing products with additional health benefits unique to collagen,” Moreno Torres highlights. “Finally, adding collagen peptides to whey formulations opens up opportunities for improved applications, technology, and versatility.”

She suggests that brands that want to position whey-collagen products as premium solutions should prioritize ingredients that are backed by peer-reviewed science and real-world evidence. “To stand out in a crowded, noisy aisle, brands must offer value that goes beyond traditional collagen peptides focused solely on connective tissue support.” 

“Furthermore, achieving a premium product requires excellence in both health benefits and organoleptic properties.”

Holistic and formulation benefits

Adding collagen peptides to whey formulations will provide benefits for joint and ligament repair, says Moreno Torres, as whey does not provide these benefits on its own.

We previously spoke with Moreno Torres about Nextida GC’s versatility, which enables consumer-friendly formats like wellness shots.“If we go into more detail, by using science-backed collagen peptides such as Peptan, we would be looking into bringing benefits that range from skin and hair beauty to gut comfort, and even sleep quality and cognitive performance, as it has been observed in our peer-reviewed studies.”

Furthermore, she notes that these blends offer an improved solubility, texture, and palatability, which she highlights as common challenges in high-protein formulations, such as protein bars.

“Of course, some challenges may still arise,” adds Moreno Torres. “However, this is where partnering with Peptan or Nextida can be a game-changer. Our global application labs bring strong expertise in formulation troubleshooting and optimization.”

Moreover, she says that a whey and collagen blend is highly versatile, enabling a wide potential in format innovations.

Metabolic wellness boost

Moreno Torres notes that whey protein blends with Nextida GC would offer multibenefit metabolic support, potentially offering support from satiety and weight management to energy sustenance, in addition to whey’s classic benefits.

Nextida GC is Rousselot’s targeted collagen peptide developed for metabolic support. The company previously told us that it was designed to control the “glucose rollercoaster” in healthy individuals. The company recently received a US patent for the ingredient.

“As observed in preclinical and clinical trials, Nextida GC significantly increased natural GLP-1 and GIP secretion, reduced post-meal glucose spikes, improved insulin response, and slowed down gastric emptying,” details Moreno Torres.