Collagen is a protein that is mostly found in nails, hair, skin, ligament, and bones. it is mostly obtained from animal sources like beef or fish, which are not suitable for vegans. Does that mean vegans cannot have collagen at all? No. Vegan collagen is available.
Making Vegan Collagen
Anything obtained from animal sources is non-vegan. Vegan collagen is obtained from genetically modified bacteria and yeast.
The bacteria P.pastoris is mostly used for making top-quality vegan collagen. During the manufacturing process of vegan collagen, four human genes which code for collagen are added to the genetic structure of microbes. Then yeast or bacteria starts making building blocks of human collagen. Pepsin is also used in the process.
What Are The Benefits Of Vegan Collagen?
Vegan collagen obtained from safe microbes offer various benefits including:
Reduced Risk Of Allergies
When it comes to animal-soured collagen, there is a risk of illness. However, there is no need for any such worry with vegan collagen as it is made in a controlled environment where the removal of harmful substances and allergens is quite easy.
Lower Cost
If produced in a scalable lab environment, collagen made using bacteria or yeast has a lower cost when compared to collagen obtained from animal sources.
Improved Safety Profile
As vegan collagen is made in a lab-controlled setting, manufacturers have better control over its safety. Products with easily traceable sources are safer for customers.
Useful In Beauty Care Of Vegans
Most of the collagen supplements that are available in the market are made from animal sources and vegans cannot use them. Vegan collagen has helped vegans overcome the barrier. Collagen supplements help reduce the formation of wrinkles and also promote collagen production in the body.
Alternative Sources To Vegan Collagen
As of now, actual vegan collagen is hard to find. However, you can easily get collagen boosters containing important minerals like zinc and vitamin C that promote collagen production in the body. Some companies include herbs and plant extracts in their collagen boosters.
Collagen contains amino acids lysine, glycine, and proline in high amounts. The following plant-based foods are rich in these amino acids:
- Black beans
- Nuts
- Soy products
- kidney beans
- sunflower, chia, squash, and pumpkin seeds
Eating more of these naturally boost collagen production in our body.
In addition to being important in beauty care, collagen also has various applications in the medical world. It is used to promote the faster healing of wounds and stimulate the growtn of tissue and skin.