Description
Marine collagen peptides from wild caught fish skin, unflavoured, type I, hydrolysed to a low molecular weight. Grams per scoop and the heavy metal panel are both published for every lot. The reason marine collagen is priced above the bovine version is partly supply and partly peptide size, and the reason the metals panel matters is that this is a fish product.
The numbers on the tub
| Source | wild caught fish skin |
|---|---|
| Type | type I collagen, hydrolysed into peptides |
| Peptide size | low molecular weight, stated on the panel |
| Flavour | unflavoured, dissolves in hot or cold liquid |
| Published | amino acid profile and metals panel per lot |
| Allergen | fish, stated plainly |
| Price basis | per gram of protein, under the price |
Why marine collagen is type I where bovine is types I and III
Fish skin collagen is almost entirely type I. Bovine hide yields types I and III together, which is what the bovine listings state. Type I is the form that predominates in skin, tendon and bone, and type II, the cartilage form, comes from a different source entirely and is sold at 40 mg rather than by the scoop.
That last distinction catches people out regularly. The undenatured type II capsules on the joint and bone page are a completely different product measured in milligrams, not a weaker version of this one.
Molecular weight, and what it does and does not tell you
Hydrolysis cuts the protein into shorter peptide chains, and marine collagen is typically processed to smaller fragments than bovine. Smaller peptides dissolve more readily and taste less of anything, which is measurable.
Whether peptide size changes anything beyond solubility is where the marketing outruns the data. The published absorption work on collagen peptides is limited and the comparisons between molecular weight ranges are few, which is the general problem described in choosing a format when the absorption data is thin.
Collagen is not a complete protein
Marine collagen contains no tryptophan and is low in several other essential amino acids, which is why the full amino profile is published rather than a protein percentage. Counting a collagen scoop toward a daily protein target overstates what it contributes, and a nitrogen based percentage would not reveal that.
What it is high in is glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, the three amino acids that make up most of the collagen triple helix. Those figures are on the certificate for your lot, which is the only way to see what a scoop actually is.
Fish skin, and what wild caught means on this panel
Skin is a by product of fish processing, so marine collagen is made from a material that would otherwise be waste. Wild caught describes the fishery rather than the collagen, and it is stated because the input documentation says so rather than as a flourish.
What it does not tell you is species, which varies with the catch, so the identity test on each lot confirms the material is fish skin collagen rather than a blend with a cheaper source.
Dissolving marine collagen, and the froth
It goes into hot coffee or cold water without clumping and froths a little when shaken, which settles. Unflavoured means a faint savoury note rather than no taste at all, and anyone expecting none will notice it in plain water. Every other protein on the protein page is described the same way, because a powder nobody finishes is money wasted.
What the trials administered
Published studies on collagen peptides have mostly used 2.5 to 10 grams a day over eight to twenty four weeks, measuring skin elasticity and hydration by cutometer and corneometer, joint pain visual analogue scales and, in a few trials, tendon imaging. Those are the amounts administered and the instruments read. They are not claims about this tub.
Why the metals panel is the one to read
Fish accumulate mercury, and skin is not the tissue where most of it concentrates, but marine collagen is a marine derived ingredient earns a published panel rather than an assurance. Every lot is screened for mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic, and the figures go up with the certificate.
Testing
An outside laboratory measures protein content by a method that is not nitrogen alone, the full amino acid breakdown, the metals panel and microbials on every lot of marine collagen. Under specification lots are withdrawn and their reports stay public. For the reference framing on protein and amino acids, the NIH fact sheet on supplements for exercise and athletic performance is free and detailed.
Lena K. (verified owner) –
Good product, packaging could be sturdier for posting.
Mia F. (verified owner) –
Arrived in two days, sealed, with the batch number matching the certificate.
Victor N. (verified owner) –
Better value than the one I was buying before, and the testing is published.
Marcus T. (verified owner) –
Third time reordering. Consistent batch to batch, which is the whole point.
Mia F. (verified owner) –
Solid. Slightly gritty when mixed but dissolves if you wait.
Ben C. (verified owner) –
Good product, packaging could be sturdier for posting.
Carl W. (verified owner) –
Third time reordering. Consistent batch to batch, which is the whole point.
Sam G. (verified owner) –
Exactly what the label says. I checked the lab sheet before I ordered.
Yara H. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Aisha M. (verified owner) –
Does what I bought it for without any fuss.
Kyle S. (verified owner) –
Fine, but I did not notice much difference at this dose.
Sam G. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Grace O. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Nina P. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Kyle S. (verified owner) –
Works well. I would prefer it unflavoured but that is a personal thing.
Marcus T. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Sam G. (verified owner) –
The price per milligram made the comparison obvious. Switched from a pricier brand.
Kyle S. (verified owner) –
Happy with it. Took about two weeks before I noticed anything.
Rosa L. (verified owner) –
Arrived in two days, sealed, with the batch number matching the certificate.
Marcus T. (verified owner) –
Arrived in two days, sealed, with the batch number matching the certificate.
Tom B. (verified owner) –
Happy with it. Took about two weeks before I noticed anything.
Grace O. (verified owner) –
Solid. Slightly gritty when mixed but dissolves if you wait.
Lena K. (verified owner) –
Happy with it. Took about two weeks before I noticed anything.
Aisha M. (verified owner) –
Does the job. Nothing remarkable either way.