Collagen supplements have rapidly gained popularity over recent years.
With benefits ranging from plump, youthful, glowing skin, to improve joint health, it seems like everyone who's anyone is taking collagen.
Powdered collagen supplements seem to be the most popular, with many consumers opting to mix them in with their morning coffee.
But is this a good idea or does the heat from the coffee destroy the benefits of the collagen? Let’s find out.
Does Heat Destroy Collagen Powder?
If you’ve been wary of mixing your prized collagen powder with your coffee for fear of rendering it useless, you may be on to something.
Collagen supplements often contain hydrolyzed collagen peptides. This is when the collagen protein is broken down to smaller portions so it can be easily broken down and used by the body.
Although this process often uses heat for the extraction of those peptides, it’s typically no hotter than 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
Exposing these peptides to even higher temperatures, however, can result in degradation that hinders the function of the original product.
At What Temperature Does Collagen Break Down?
Although heat can render collagen powder useless, it would take pretty high temperatures to degrade collagen peptides to the point that they are no longer functional.
According to one study, collagen proteins became degraded at temperatures starting at 302 degrees Fahrenheit [1].
Can I Take Collagen With Hot Coffee?
The average temperature of coffee is much lower than the 302 degrees Fahrenheit temperature needed to degrade collagen peptides.
Coffee is typically brewed at a temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit or less, which makes it perfectly ok to add collagen powder to your coffee without worrying about losing out on the benefits [2].
How Well Is Collagen Absorbed in the Body?
Dietary collagen cannot be absorbed. Instead, it is broken down into individual amino acids, the building blocks for protein, for your body to use. This is why it is not recommended to consume collagen-rich foods to boost your collagen levels.
Collagen has to be broken down into smaller pieces, also known as peptides, before it is consumed to be absorbed. This is where collagen supplements come into play.
Collagen supplements include collagen that has been broken down into smaller peptides for your body to more easily absorb and utilize. These may be listed on supplement labels as collagen peptides or hydrolyzed collagen.
According to research. This form of collagen is easily absorbed and can help to boost collagen levels, whereas collagen-rich foods do not appear to make a difference in your body’s total collagen.
For those who prefer to opt for dietary sources to boost collagen levels, it’s best to look at foods that help increase collagen production, such as vitamin C-rich foods [3].
Does Heat Impact Collagen Bioavailability?
For collagen to be absorbed in supplement form, the proteins need to be denatured to a certain degree to alter their structure.
This alteration creates collagen that is in a predigested form for easy absorption.
The process of pre-digesting collagen into peptides is done using heat.
This is typically after the product itself has been treated with an acid or alkaline solution to render the collagen.
It is then heated to at least 190 degrees Fahrenheit to further extract the peptides [4].
Can You Microwave Collagen?
It is not recommended to heat collagen supplements in a microwave as the irradiation from the microwave could result in further denaturation of the collagen, inhibiting its effects.
This means coffee with collagen powder is okay, as long as you drink the coffee before it gets too cold and it needs to be put in the microwave [5].
Can You Use Collagen for Baking and Cooking?
Collagen powder can be mixed into various foods however, it is recommended that it is added towards the end of preparation to avoid degrading the peptides with high levels of heat.
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Collagen powder can be used in baked products however, to avoid damaging the peptides it should only be used in products that don’t require temperatures over 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be challenging for many baked items.
All things considered, collagen powders can be easy to add to a variety of foods and beverages, especially if it is an unflavored variety.
They mix best into warm liquids as this allows them to dissolve more easily than cold liquids.
If you are taking a collagen powder and are hoping to mix it into foods and beverages, just remember to keep the temperature under 300 degrees and you can enjoy your collagen in many different foods as you prefer without worrying about losing all the wonderful benefits collagen is known for.
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