The raw substance of collagen peptides – as for gelatin – is collagen protein. Collagen peptides though, are comparatively small molecules with a weight of less than 10,000 g/mole.

The structure of collagen

These peptides are comprised of at least two and at most a hundred amino acids. Collagen peptides are characterised by having very good cold water solubility and even in highly concentrated solutions, they don’t form a gel.

The Peptide Chains that bind our skin

Collagen contains three polypeptide chains, which are wrapped around each other to form a triple-helical macromolecule. Collagen has a unique structure, size and amino acid sequence which is characterised by the presence of glycine (Gly) as every third residue. This sequence enables the binding of the three chains into the triple-helical structure. The common feature for all collagens is a sequence expressed as (Gly-X-Y)n. X and Y are frequently represented by proline (Pro) and hydroxyproline (Hyp), respectively. This sequence is necessary for the collagen to provide the structural integrity for the extracellular matrix of conjunctive tissues.

The raw material for collagen peptides – as for gelatin – is collagen protein. Collagen peptides, however, are relatively small molecules with a molecular weight of less than 10,000 g/mole. The peptides comprise at least 2 and at most 100 amino acids. They are characterized by excellent cold water solubility and even in highly concentrated solutions they do not form a gel.

Producing Collagen

The production process for obtaining collagen for human benefit are optimised to produce different peptides with different functionalities. The triple helix of collagen is broken up into long chains, and these are hydrolysed to shorter chains. Further hydrolysation leads to short peptides of which our Jointvital and Femvital product is made, creating bioactive body stimulating functions.