Rousselot BV
Kanaaldijk Noord 20
5691 NM SON – The Netherlands
Phone: +31 499 364100

Rousselot, the health brand of Darling’s Ingredients, is a global leader in gelatin- and collagen-based solutions for the food, health & nutrition, biomedical and pharmaceutical industries. Working in partnership with its global customer base, Rousselot delivers advanced ingredient solutions that enable innovation, excite today’s consumers, and contribute to public health. Through its state-of-the-art operations, extensive technical expertise and sustained scientific research, the company helps its customers achieve their goals and create world-class products.

Trained as a nutritional scientist, Dr. Janne Prawitt has spent 10 years in academic research in Germany and France in the field of metabolic diseases (such as obesity and diabetes). Prawitt joined Rousselot in 2013 where she is responsible for the science portfolio that focuses on the health benefits of Rousselot’s collagen products for health and nutrition. Currently, she is scientific director health & nutrition, Rousselot.

NIE: Rousselot recently launched NEXTIDA. Please explain the Nextida platform and how it can provide new targeted benefits.

Prawitt: The result of more than 130 years’ experience in collagen science, Nextida is our innovative platform of specific collagen peptide compositions with new targeted health benefits, aimed at guiding the body back to balance, naturally. For its first practical application, Rousselot researchers focused on the growing concern of blood glucose control—exploring whether a carefully selected collagen peptide composition could support the well-being of supplement consumers. The result is Nextida GC, our first ingredient commercialized from the platform—designed to help healthy people maintain balanced glucose levels after a meal. Promising pre-clinical studies have demonstrated the ingredient’s impact on the incretin effect,1 one of the body’s mechanisms for regulating glucose spikes, in which the hormone GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) plays a major role.

Following this, a proof-of-concept study was designed to test two doses of Nextida GC (5 g and 10 g) versus placebo on the blood glucose response in healthy individuals after a meal. Results showed that supplementation of Nextida GC significantly reduced the post-meal glucose spike by an average of 42 percent,2 demonstrating the solution’s multifaceted potential to enrich supplements aimed at supporting glucose management, in line with a growing consumer demand.

NIE: Rousselot recently secured the Brazilian Patent for Stabicaps. What are the benefits of Stabicaps and how does securing patents like this one strengthen the brand?

Prawitt: We developed StabiCaps gelatin technology to help improve the shell stability and release profile of soft gels. By reducing crosslinking, a common challenge in capsule formulations that affects their stability and therapeutic effectiveness, StabiCaps enhances the release of active compounds. In large-scale manufacturing, we found further benefits, including a reduction in the maturation time of the gel mass and faster drying times, allowing for quicker, more efficient production runs. This, together with its excellent crosslinking resistance, allows nutraceutical producers to meet rising consumer demand for reliable soft gel supplements.

StabiCaps has already granted patents by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2022 and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2023, so securing the Brazilian patent for StabiCaps is an important milestone for enabling dietary supplement producers to tap into the fast-growing Brazilian health and wellness market.

NIE: Please discuss some of Rousselot’s recent studies.

Prawitt: Research is at the core of what we do, enabling us to deliver innovative collagen and gelatin solutions to the nutraceutical and functional food industries.

Over the years, we’ve conducted multiple clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of PEPTAN, our flagship solution of collagen peptides for holistic well-being, on different health areas, including mobility,3,4 skin,5,6 hair,7 gut health8 and sleep.9 For example, two scientific studies have been recently published in peer-reviewed journals. The first, published in the Wiley Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, investigated the influence of Peptan collagen peptide supplementation on visible signs of skin beauty and aging in East Asian women aged 40-65. The trial, involving 85 participants who took 5 g of Peptan daily for 12 weeks, showed significant improvements compared to the placebo group: skin density, elasticity, and hydration increased while wrinkle depth was reduced.10

The second study was a randomized, double-blind crossover trial, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, to explore Peptan’s absorption profile. The study evaluated the absorption of bioactive di- and tri- peptides and free amino acids – key markers of collagen intake—from bovine hide, porcine skin and fish skin each with varying molecular weights, following consumption by healthy individuals. The findings indicated consistent bioavailability—defined as the portion of a nutrient or bioactive compound that can be absorbed into the bloodstream11—across different raw material sources and molecular weights.12

Another key area is mobility. A recent study showed that partial substitution of whey with Peptan in sports nutrition supplements did not alter recovery and performance, while providing the combined joint benefits of both protein and collagen.13 This shows that there is potential for collagen to be used in combination with whey protein in functional food products for consumers of all ages.

NIE: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Prawitt: Collagen is one of the most recognizable ingredients in the wellness market, but despite countless studies on the subject, there is still plenty of unexplored potential beyond its well-known benefits. It’s why we’re actively contributing to the growing body of research as part of our Nextida platform, with the aim of uncovering new insights into its benefits and understanding the mechanisms behind its action. Through collaboration with leading scientists and research institutions, we’re working to advance knowledge in this field, helping to unlock the full potential of collagen for various applications. Nextida GC is just the first step in a much longer journey, and we’re excited to see how our collagen decoding project continues to reshape the nutraceutical industry.

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