Collagen on the rise: from human ‘superfoods’ to healthier pet food snacks

March 07 2023 - Blog

As I strolled around the annual SuperZoo trade fair in Las Vegas last August, I was struck by the number of pet food manufacturers promoting collagen as a key ingredient these days, not only for dry and canned foods but for snacks as well. Where did this collagen ‘mania’ originate, and how does the ingredient improve pet food? 

As with many ingredients, the popularity of collagen in pet food directly stems from the growing evidence that we as humans can benefit from it. In other words, a human food trend instigated a pet food trend. Illustrating the human trend, Jennifer Aniston promotes certain protein bars that contain collagen as a functional ingredient, stating that collagen is the body’s most abundant protein and helps to support hair, skin, nail, bone, and joint health. 

Natural production and breakdown

Experts may claim that a well-balanced and high-quality diet normally provides cats and dogs with the raw ingredients required to produce sufficient collagen naturally. As with all proteins, however, collagen does not last forever but follows a continuous natural cycle of breakdown and regeneration. Factors like (minor) injuries, genetic issues in certain dog breeds, UV rays, stress, and aging can exacerbate this breakdown process – making the skin thinner and more susceptible to damage, tendons and ligaments less elastic, joints stiff and/or painful to move, and weakening connective tissue structures. Eventually, this can seriously restrict the mobility of pets. Collagen supplementation may then serve to support the animal’s health and well-being. 

Investing in high-quality food

A more widespread contributing factor to the rise of collagen in pet food is that most pet parents today treat their cats and dogs as family members. This, combined with the growing notion that high-quality food evidently supports a healthier and happier life for both animals and humans, increases our willingness to spend more on food with collagen. This not only applies to day-to-day pet foods, but also to snack bars and cookies. 

Examples of collagen in pet food

Although the popularity of collagen stands out, it is far from the first health-promoting ingredient to be added to both pet and human food. Other great examples are omega-3, astaxanthin, and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) – all of which have their own specific nutritional and/or functional benefits and can often be sourced and added in multiple ways. To find out about the possibilities of collagen in pet food, please take a look at the examples below. IQI offers each of these ingredients. 

Collagen peptides6

Chicken collagen peptides 

Pork collagen peptides 

Beef collagen peptides 

Marine collagen peptides 

All high-protein (> 90%) ingredients rich in collagen and enzymatically hydrolyzed, and with a typical (average) molecular weight of 3000 dalton. 

Techno-functional collagen powder

Apart from its bio-functional benefits, (native) collagen can also help pet food manufacturers to improve their products with techno-functional benefits, such as improved binding and palatability. Dried pork and chicken collagen powders, for instance, provide these benefits. 

Download our white paper

Are you curious about collagen and how it contributes to the health of cats and dogs? Download and read our latest white paper on collagen as an increasingly popular functional ingredient in pet food. 

About Roeland Vreeswijk

Roeland Vreeswijk is IQI Trusted Petfood Ingredient’s Sales Director and responsible for the sales in Europe and upcoming markets. Roeland is a driven and enthusiastic expert in the feed industry and has been with IQI for nearly 12 years already!