Hydrolyzed collagen: Exploring its applications in the food and beverage industries and assessing its impact on human health – A comprehensive review

Hydrolyzed collagen (HC) consists of many small and low-molecular-weight amino acid chains (3–6 kDa) that can be produced either in basic or acidic media through enzymatic activity. This review details the sources of hydrolyzed collagen, its biosynthesis and its uses in the food industry, as well as its production process and beneficial health effects. HC can be extracted from a variety of sources, during which acetic acid is used for the extraction of collagen type I from bovine, porcine, marine, chicken, and fish cartilage. An enzymatic treatment combined with an acidic treatment has shown more efficient extraction results. Because of its properties, it is frequently employed in the food industry since it improves sensorial qualities, as well as in the cosmetic industry as a functional component in face and body cream because of its moisturizing properties. It is also used in the pharmaceutical development of antioxidant supplements often combined with hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. HC has an excellent therapeutic effect on osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, where a daily dose of 12 g enhances pain symptoms and contributes to bone health. It also increases mineral density and protects articular cartilage. This review presents the structure and properties of hydrolyzed collagen, which mainly consists of the amino acids glycine, proline and hydroxyproline in a triple helix, its extraction process and its sources, as well as its applications. In particular, the creation of Enzymatic Membrane Reactor allows the production of HC with different molecular weight distributions, allowing wider application.