Collagen can also be used in food. As early as the 12th century St.Hilde-gard of Bingen described the use of calf cartilage soup as a medicine to treat joint pain. For a long time, products containing collagen were considered to be good for joints. Because it has some properties applicable to food: food grade is usually white in appearance, soft in taste, light in taste, easy to digest. It can reduce blood triglyceride and cholesterol, and increase some essential trace elements in the body to maintain it in a relatively normal range. It is an ideal food for reducing blood lipids. In addition, studies have shown that collagen can help eliminate aluminum in the body, reduce the accumulation of aluminum in the body, reduce the harm of aluminum to the human body, and promote the growth of nails and hair to a certain extent. Type II collagen is the main protein in articular cartilage and is therefore a potential autoantigen. Oral administration can induce T cells to produce immune tolerance and inhibit T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Collagen polypeptide is a product with high digestibility and absorbability and molecular weight of about 2000 ~ 30000 after collagen or gelatin is degraded by protease.

Some qualities of collagen enable it to be used as functional substances and nutritional components in many foods with advantages that are incomparable to other alternative materials: the helical structure of collagen macromolecules and the existence of crystal zone make it have certain thermal stability; The natural compact fiber structure of collagen makes collagen material show strong toughness and strength, which is suitable for the preparation of thin film materials. Because collagen molecular chain contains a large number of hydrophilic groups, so it has a strong ability to bind with water, which makes collagen can be used as fillers and gels in food. Collagen expands in acidic and alkaline media, and this property is also applied in the treatment process for preparing collagen-based materials.

Collagen powder can be added directly to meat products to affect the tenderness of the meat and the texture of the muscle after cooking. Studies have shown that collagen is important for the formation of raw meat and cooked meat, and that the higher the collagen content, the harder the texture of the meat. For example, the tenderization of fish is thought to be related to the degradation of type V collagen, and the breakdown of the peripheral collagen fibers caused by the breakdown of peptide bonds is thought to be the main cause of muscle tenderization. By destroying the hydrogen bond within the collagen molecule, the original tight superhelix structure is destroyed, and the gelatin with smaller molecules and looser structure is formed, which can not only improve the tenderness of meat but also improve its use value, make it have good quality, increase the protein content, taste good and nutrition. Japan has also developed animal collagen as raw materials, hydrolyzed by collagen hydrolytic enzymes, and developed new condiments and sake, which not only has special flavor, but also can supplement part of amino acids.

With various types of sausage products in meat products account for an increasing proportion, natural casing products are seriously lacking. Researchers are working to develop alternatives. Collagen casings, dominated by collagen, are themselves nutrient-rich and high in protein. As water and oil evaporate and melt during heat treatment, collagen shrinks almost at the same rate as meat, a quality no other edible packaging material has been found to have. In addition, collagen itself has the function of immobilizing enzymes and has antioxidant properties, which can improve the flavor and quality of food. The stress of the product is proportional to the content of collagen, while the strain is inversely proportional.