The role of collagen in the human body
The body of a typical adult consists of 60-70% water. Proteins are the second most important components at 20%. Of these, approx. 30% are collagens, which are the most important building block of connective tissue. Collagen is therefore an indispensable ingredient for healthy nutrition.
Collagen peptides offer physiological benefits; they stimulate natural body functions. They pass through the intestinal wall and accumulate in the blood after only 15 minutes to be distributed to the connective tissues of the body. The reason for this is the short chain length of the peptides and their low average molecular weight. The biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immunogenicity of collagen make it attractive for a number of biomedical, pharmaceutical and food applications.
Collagen also delivers essential amino acids, which cannot be synthesized by the body. Also, as certain non-essential amino acids, such as glycine and proline, may not be produced in adequate amounts, numerous foodstuffs and food supplements are enriched with collagen to ensure healthy nutrition.
Bioactive collagen peptides for specific nutritional needs
We provide the food industry with bioactive collagen peptides to supply important amino acids to the body’s various connective tissues. The amino acid composition of our collagen peptides corresponds to that of collagen. The primary characteristics are a high concentration of glycine, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, which only occur in collagen. With the exception of tryptophan, all other essential amino acids are also present.
The stimulating effect of our collagen peptides on cell growth in skin, joints and bones has been demonstrated in numerous scientific studies. GELITA Collagen Peptides are therefore a valuable source of essential and non-essential amino acids.