Gelatin or collagen hydrolysate: what is the difference?

Gelatin and collagen hydrolysate are closely related: both come from collagen, they contain the same amino acids and both are neutral in taste and smell. Yet they behave very differently in the kitchen and in your glass. In this article you will learn how they are made, how they differ and which form best suits the way you want to use it.

Where do gelatin and collagen hydrolysate come from?

Both are made from collagen-rich animal tissue, such as the hide, bones and connective tissue of cattle or the skin of fish. In that tissue, collagen exists as long, strong protein chains twisted into a triple helix. To turn it into a usable product, those chains are made smaller. How far that goes determines whether you get gelatin or hydrolysate.

• Gelatin is formed when collagen is heated. The triple helix unravels and the chains are partly broken down. Relatively large protein chains remain.
• Collagen hydrolysate (also called collagen peptides) goes one step further: the chains are cut into small pieces using enzymes. Short peptides remain, for example smaller than 3 kDa in our fish collagen.

You actually make gelatin at home too: when you simmer bone broth for a long time and let it cool, it sets thanks to the gelatin released from the bones.

The key difference: gelling or dissolving

Because gelatin consists of large chains, they can form a network that holds water as it cools. That is why gelatin gels. You dissolve it in warm water and it sets as it cools. In collagen hydrolysate the chains are so short that no network forms: it dissolves in cold and hot drinks and stays liquid.

	Gelatin	Collagen hydrolysate
Raw material	Hide, bones and connective tissue of animals or fish
Processing	Heating, partial breakdown	Further breakdown with enzymes
Size of protein chains	Large	Small (peptides)
Solubility	In warm water	In cold and warm water
When cooled	Forms a gel	Stays liquid
Amino acids	Practically identical: rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline
Typical use	Cooking: puddings, gummies, sauces, broth	Drinks: coffee, tea, smoothies, yoghurt

Same amino acids, different form

Gelatin and collagen hydrolysate from the same raw material have a practically identical amino acid profile. Both are rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline: amino acids that are much less common in muscle meat and plant proteins. So the difference is not in the building blocks but in the length of the chains.

Your body digests both forms into amino acids and small peptides. Because the chains in hydrolysate are already short, it is in effect pre-digested. After consuming collagen hydrolysate, peptides such as prolyl-hydroxyproline have been detected in the blood. If you tolerate large proteins less well, hydrolysate may therefore suit you better.

Note that neither gelatin nor collagen hydrolysate is a complete protein, as the essential amino acid tryptophan is missing. See both as an addition to a varied, protein-rich diet.

When should you choose gelatin?

• When you actually want something to set: homemade gummies, panna cotta, aspic or a thick, glossy sauce.
• When you want to thicken dishes without flour or starch.
• When you take the traditional route of bone broth, which naturally contains gelatin.

When should you choose collagen hydrolysate?

• When you want to use collagen daily without any fuss: a scoop in your coffee, tea, smoothie or yoghurt.
• When you want to dissolve it in cold drinks.
• When you are looking for a product with a fixed, clear dose per serving.

Torn between beef and fish? Bovine collagen mainly contains collagen types I and III, fish collagen mainly type I. Fish collagen suits you if you do not eat beef; bovine collagen if you are allergic to fish. Read more in beef versus fish collagen and in collagen type 1, 2 and 3.

Our collagen hydrolysates

• Collagen hydrolysate from grass-fed European cattle: types I and III, neutral taste.
• Collagen hydrolysate from wild-caught sea fish: type I, peptides smaller than 3 kDa.
• Bone broth: collagen in the form of gelatin, with a mild savoury taste.

Vitamin C and collagen formation

Whether you use gelatin or hydrolysate: your body needs vitamin C to make collagen. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels, bones, cartilage, gums, skin and teeth.

Frequently asked questions

Is gelatin the same as collagen?

Gelatin is heated, partly broken-down collagen. It has the same amino acids but a different structure. Collagen hydrolysate is broken down even further and does not gel.

Can I use gelatin instead of collagen hydrolysate?

In terms of amino acids, yes, but gelatin only dissolves in warm water and gels as it cools. In coffee that still works, in a cold smoothie it does not. For daily use in drinks, hydrolysate is more practical.

Does bone broth contain gelatin or collagen?

Both, in a sense: the collagen from the bones has largely been turned into gelatin by the long cooking. That is why a good broth sets when it cools.

Which animals do gelatin and collagen come from?

Gelatin and collagen are made from cattle, pigs, fish or poultry. Our products come from grass-fed European cattle and wild-caught sea fish. Collagen is never vegan.

Our view

Gelatin is not a modern supplement. It is simply what remains when you simmer bones, skin and tendons for a long time. Every grandmother who made soup from a marrow bone or a chicken carcass made gelatin. The fact that the modern kitchen throws those parts away and then buys the protein back as a powder says a lot about how far we have drifted from eating the whole animal. So make your own bone broth more often, and use gelatin or collagen hydrolysate when you want to keep it easy. No time? Our bone broth is made from the bones of grass-fed cattle.

In summary

Gelatin and collagen hydrolysate come from the same raw material and have the same amino acids. Gelatin consists of larger chains and gels; hydrolysate consists of small peptides, dissolves in cold and hot drinks and stays liquid. Use gelatin for cooking and hydrolysate for your daily serving of collagen in a drink.

Sources

• Shoulders MD, Raines RT. Collagen structure and stability. Annual Review of Biochemistry. 2009;78:929–958.
• Iwai K, et al. Identification of food-derived collagen peptides in human blood after oral ingestion of gelatin hydrolysates. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2005;53(16):6531–6536.
• European Commission. EU Register of nutrition and health claims (vitamin C).