Rousselot Explains New Blood Glucose Research for Nextida GC Ahead of IFT First

As IFT First approaches, Rousselot is preparing to spotlight two threads of its ongoing work: fresh clinical data on its blood-glucose-focused ingredient, Nextida GC, and a formulation strategy pairing collagen peptides with whey protein. In this Q&A, Lauretta Katsriku, global category leader for collagen, at Rousselot, discusses how a second clinical study builds on the promising results the company first reported when Nextida GC launched in fall 2024.

That earlier research showed the collagen-based ingredient could blunt post-meal blood glucose spikes and stimulate the body's own GLP-1 secretion. The newer study confirms those findings and adds two notable discoveries: a meaningful delay in gastric emptying among pre-diabetic participants, and GLP-1 levels that stayed elevated well after a carbohydrate-heavy meal. Katsriku explains what these results suggest about satiety, the mechanisms potentially driving them, and where Rousselot's research is headed next, including studies on dosing timing and a chronic clinical trial already in the pipeline.

The conversation then turns to a different kind of pressure point for formulators: a whey protein market squeezed by high prices and constrained supply, even as consumer demand for protein keeps climbing. Katsriku makes the case for combining whey with Rousselot's Peptan collagen peptides, describing complementary amino acid profiles, application-specific texture and stability benefits, and opportunities to layer on claims beyond protein content alone, from joint health to skin benefits, that a collagen-whey blend can support.

Sebastian Krawiec: Rousselot will be showcasing some new research on its Nextide GC ingredient at IFT First. Could you tell me a little bit about what the new research found, and you know how it builds upon previous research Rousselot has done on the ingredient?

Lauretta Katsriku: So, just to kind of jog our memory a little bit, Nextida GC was launched in the fall of 2024, and this product is very unique in that it has a collagen peptide base. However, it's innovative enough that it actually is an active biopeptide that has specific functionality around blood glucose management, and so at you know first of all in the first study, we were able to show that this product definitely does improve the reduction of blood glucose spikes after a carb-heavy meal when consumed at a usage level somewhere around 5 and 10 grams half an hour before a carb-heavy meal, and that was really intriguing, and that actually sparked additional interest in understanding a little bit more about this product, and so we went on to run a second study. First of all, let me just say again that in the first study, we were also able to show that Nextida GC was able to help the body secrete its own natural GLP-1 hormones as well, so all of this was very interesting.

So the second study was a confirmation study, and we were able to confirm that an intake of 10 grams of Nextida GC increased the GLP-1 secretion, as we had seen in the first study. It also reduced significantly the blood glucose spikes after a carb-heavy meal. Again, confirmation of the first study, and then another thing we we noticed was that the insulin response was improved with the consumption of Nextida GC before a carb-heavy meal. So again, in this case, linked to the blood glucose spikes, you are seeing a lower glucose spikes up to about 37% without insulin secretion increase, which is extremely important. Two other things that we found in this study that we did not test for or look out for in the first study was that gastric emptying was significantly delayed by somewhere an average of 37 minutes in a specific group, so a pre-diabetic group. So this actually shows that Nextida GC induced some form of priming of a GLP-1 secretion, and this appears to be one of the mechanisms that's contributing to the attenuation of the postprandial glucose response. So this is extremely important, this gastric emptying delay because what that actually implies is thatwhen you consume Nextida GC, it makes you feel full for a longer period of time, and that could be linked to satiety at some point. And then, secondly, GLP-1 remains significantly higher than the control in two hours after the carb heavy meal, which is also really significant. So, I know I've spoken a lot about so many things, but again, this all is to show that the findings in the second study was very significant and very strong. One, it confirmed everything that we saw in the in the first study, and plus we have two additional insights that I think would be really interesting for brands to note.

SK: Any priorities for future research in terms of building upon these results?

LK: Absolutely. Again, Rousselot is a company that is founded on science. We want to continue to build on the results. We are very curious people. We want to understand a little bit more about the different mechanisms as well. So I think that one thing that you'd see coming up as well is that we are actually looking to understand how the timing of intake of Nextida GC could potentially affect the results at different times. So, right now we have looked at half an hour before a meal. What does it mean to take it with a meal or two hours after a meal? What does that look like? So we'll be we'll be researching that a little bit more. As well, we're looking at running additional clinical trials on this. So, we have a chronic study that is already lined up.

SK: Rousselot will also be demonstrating how collagen peptides can complement whey protein in formulations. I wonder if you can tell me a little bit more about the benefits of combining the two.

LK: Absolutely. So, a little bit about the whey market. So, first of all, I think that it's very good to understand a little bit about what's happening in the whey market right now. So today the whey market is experiencing quite a lot of challenges. So, one of the main challenges that the whey market is experiencing is rising pricing, and this is also linked very closely with the second challenge, which is the supply chain challenges. So supply is low, prices are high, and actually to make things a little bit more complicated, the demand for protein is high as well. So the question is, how can brands or companies that are looking to launch products with high protein claims that meet consumers' needs because consumers are actually looking for higher intake of protein. How how do they actually address this with the shortage in the whey protein markets, as well as the higher increase in prices?

Here again, we want to be able to kind of point out that collagen is a protein, right? I think it's well known, but in case there are other customers that are not familiar with what collagen can actually do in terms of addressing whey, it's really important that we drive this message: collagen is a protein. It's not a complete protein like whey is.The amino acid profile is different. However, we have been able to map out the synergistic effects of actually combining the two. So, you look at it through the lense of the amino acids profiles. There are some areas where some some essential amino acids that are lower in whey protein that are extremely high in collagen peptides, and then the other way around as well. So what this does is shows that whey protein and our Peptan collagen peptides work very well together.

So this is a campaign that we're running, you know, called the Protein Power Couple. They work very well together, and together they're able to meet the protein needs of brand. Depending on the application or the end usage, you're able to replace a portion of whey with collagen. If it's a bar application, a beverage application, or even just a powdered application, we're able to give you suggestions or recommendations of what the percentage replacement really looks like, and we've done quite a lot of work on the application side as well to be able to give insights as to the additional benefits that using collagen peptides will bring into your final application. So again, it's very application dependent, but in bars, for example, our products have been shown to help reduce the hardness that typically comes with a whey-heavy bar application. So, you get textural benefits in that case. In beverages, you have some mouth feel applications, some stability benefits as well. So, the quite a lot of benefits that you can get. Very importantly, I want to point out that in addition to all of this, combining whey and collagen peptides, which are actually scientifically proven to give you additional benefits, gives the the companies or the brands the ability to make additional claims outside of just protein. So again, if you're aiming at high levels of protein, 20, 30, 40 grams, you're able to achieve that, but outside of just protein, you're able to make additional claims.

So, if you're looking to make a, you know, joint health claim, or you know, or bring benefits of beauty, or you know, skin, different kinds of claims in that particular area for your customers, I think that you have much more differentiation if you are combining both as opposed to using one. So, again, the message is we're not going. You know, we're we're not talking about full replacement of whey, right? Whey is a strong product. It has a great amino acid profile. We strongly support it. However, there are advantages of combining both products, and that's what we'll be showcasing, and you know, bringing that you know expertise to our customers at the show.