CAN COLLAGEN HANDLE THE HEAT?

Hot beverages and baked goods enriched with functional ingredients, such as collagen peptides, offer manufacturers a unique opportunity to deliver tasty, nutritional products with holistic health benefits into everyday life.

Hot beverages and baked goods enriched with functional ingredients, such as collagen peptides, offer manufacturers a unique opportunity to deliver tasty, nutritional products with holistic health benefits into everyday life.

But there’s one essential question: Can collagen survive the heat? In this article, Tim De Lange, Rousselot’s Global Application Center Manager, explores the latest research, showing that the answer is yes – Peptan rises to the challenge.

Can collagen peptides survive the heat of hot drinks?

Collagen-enriched hot beverages like coffee or hot chocolate are becoming increasingly popular, supporting holistic health with beauty, joints and skin benefits. But when collagen is heated, does it lose its structure or nutritional value? That’s exactly what researchers from our global Application Center set out to test with Peptan collagen peptides, a premium form of bioactive collagen known for its excellent solubility and stability.

Is Peptan ready for a cup of hot coffee?

With around two-thirds of U.S adults drinking coffee daily¹, turning the morning cup into a functional beverage is a major opportunity. To uncover how coffee interacts with collagen, we conducted research under real-life conditions.

One gram of Peptan was mixed with 1.8 grams of ground coffee into refillable stainless-steel capsules

The blend was brewed in a capsule coffee machine (~85°C, 19 bar)

In a separate test, one gram of Peptan was manually dissolved in the same volume of already brewed coffee (~85°C)

Both liquids were then analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

The outcome? No significant loss of Peptan and no change in amino acid composition between the samples (see Figures 1 & 2 below). Even under brewing heat and pressure, Peptan stayed intact.

Figures 1 and 2: No significant loss of Peptan through the coffee machine and no significant change in amino acid composition in both drinks.

What about the bioavailability of Peptan in hot coffee vs cold beverages

Does collagen impact the body the same way in hot drinks as it does in cold ones?

A recent randomized, double-blind clinical trial (Virgilio et al., 2024) compared how the body absorbs Peptan when taken in hot coffee versus room-temperature water. Researchers measured the concentrations of two key di-peptides in the blood, Proline-Hydroxyproline (Pro-Hyp) and Hydroxyproline-Glycine (Hyp-Gly), which are known as the markers of collagen functionality. See Figures 3 and 4 below.

The result? Absorption was virtually identical in both hot and cold beverages. So whether you enjoy Peptan in a cappuccino or a smoothie, your body gets the same benefits.

Figure 3 and 4: Peptan absorption remains similar in both hot and cold beverages.

The impact of heat treatment on drinks with Peptan

Most commercial beverages go through pasteurization or Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) processing to ensure safety and shelf life. Could that intense heat affect Peptan?

Our tests confirm that Peptan stays stable under UHT (142°C for six seconds), with no changes in amino acid composition.

Even after heating at 121°C for 20 minutes at 10% concentration, its amino acid profile remained unchanged. (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Amino acid composition of Peptan remains the same even after exposure to high temperatures.

That means Peptan can confidently be used in ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, offering reliable quality and nutrition through every stage of production.

Can collagen peptides survive the heat of baking?

Collagen-enriched snacks and baked goods are increasingly popular. At Rousselot’s Global Application Center, we’ve developed a wide range of recipes featuring Peptan collagen peptides for bakery applications. The question: Can collagen survive the high heat of baking?

Peptan’s stability during baking

In tests replicating bakery processes, Peptan was exposed to 200°C for 20 minutes, like conditions for muffins, pancakes, or cookies. Even under these high temperatures, no breakdown was detected.

To push the limits further, samples were pre-treated in a hot, humid chamber (35°C, 80% RH) before baking for one hour at 200°C. After analysis, the amino acid composition remained identical (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Amino acid composition of Peptan remains the same even after exposure to high temperatures used in baking.

These findings demonstrate that Peptan retains its nutritional value, even in high-heat baking environments.

The takeaway: Peptan performs under pressure

Whether it’s a hot coffee, a shelf-stable drink, or a batch of warm brownies, Peptan collagen peptides remain nutritionally valuable, high-quality, bioavailable and bioactive.

For brands, that means innovation possibilities without compromise. For consumers, it means enjoying the same collagen benefits in the foods and drinks they already love.

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