Characteristics and production

Characteristics and production

Hydrolyzed collagen is produced from collagen found in the bones, skin, and connective tissue of animals such as cattle, pigs, horses, and fish. The process of hydrolysis involves breaking down the molecular bonds between individual collagen strands using heat and either acid or alkali solutions.

The hydrolysis process results in reducing the collagen proteins of about 300,000 Daltons (Da) into small peptides having an average molecular weight between 2000 and 5000 Da.

Amino acid content

The amino acid content of hydrolyzed collagen is the same as collagen. Hydrolyzed collagen contains 20 amino acids, predominantly glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, which together represent around 50% of the total amino acid content. Glycine and proline concentration is 10 to 20 times higher than in other food sources of protein.^[1]

Hydrolyzed collagen is not a complete protein. It is high in the non-essential amino acids glycine and proline, which are produced by the human body, while lacking certain essential amino acids; that is, those not produced by the human body. It contains no tryptophan and is deficient in lysine, methionine, and tyrosine