Triacylglycerols affect the water content and cohesive strength of collagen fibrils

H NMR revealed the chemical identity of TAGs in collagen fibrils. We propose that TAGs are irregularly intercalated within the collagen crystal lattice and display liquid-like disorder. This challenges the current understanding of the chemical composition of native collagen fibrils. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that structurally embedded lipids, such as TAGs, can modulate cohesive forces between proteins at the molecular level.