Summary:Looking for a way to make a bone broth that can get me 20G of collagen a day. Also the legitimacy of Collagen powders?
Elaboration: I want to get around 20g of collagen a day. The best way it seems to get the collagen is through bone broth. As someone who has never made a bone broth or really researched collagen im not sure got to get a conversion of bone to actual collagen in the broth. So ultimately I’m looking for the most collagen dense bones to use. Furthermore I’ve seen some research suggesting a good animal based collagen powders However it is hard to tell if that was just schilling by companies because there was always links to the supplements.
Measuring the amount of collagen in a homemade bone broth will be a little difficult, but I’ve made some using various beef knuckles/joints since they have a larger amount of bone marrow. I like to throw in chicken wings since they have a high yield for collagen and are pretty cheap. I’ve read that using chicken feet will also have a high yield for collagen.
My basic recipe is to roast whatever mixture of bones, wings, joints whether it be chicken, beef or pork on high heat (450 F). This reduces the amount of scum if you were to boil the stock from raw bones.
I throw the bones into a pressure cooker along with herbs, mushrooms, and veggies. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil once the pot hits 15psi I reduce the heat and let cook for 8-12 hours. After that I turn off the heat and let it cool for a natural release. From there skim the fats off and you could save this for cooking later on. Strain the solids and make an ice bath to cool off the broth for safe storage. Bone broth is high protein and low sodium so the ice bath reduces the chance of it going bad. Depending on how much you make put the majority in the freezer (I use mason jars) and take them out and put in the fridge a few days before you need them.
Look up a farm store or go to a farmers market to find good quality bones. Feel free to reply if you need a better explanation!
2 hours in the instant pot pressure setting on high. Random bone scraps I’ve saved in the freezer plus chicken feet. Ill also add some carrots, celery and onion, s+p. Always comes out jelly when cooled. Very easy and delicious.
I have some experience doing lab testing for my bone broth brand for protein and collagen levels.
A good rule of thumb is to assume that 85-95% of the protein in properly made bone broth is collagen. Or very similar in terms of amino acid profiles.
Use the following numbers for total protein (then subtract 5-15%) if you remove the fat for 1 cup serving.
No gel. Ex full liquid –> 2-6 g protein.
Some ‘gel’ (ex, when you pour it at fridge temperature there are gelatin chunks but no full gelatin) –> 8g protein
Full gel (ex, not pourable and shakes like gelatin at fridge temperature) –> 9-14 g protein
As for carbs, you might have 1-3g per cup depending how much onion/carrot/celery you add. With no vegetables it will be zero.
As for bones in Canada, might be tough if you’re in a small town. Famers markets in the summer would be your best bet. Ask the farmers to bring bones for you next week. Whole Foods has bones n their freezer. As do many grocery stores. They’re usually buried in some corner.
Just out of curiosity, why are you looking to supplement 20g of collagen a day?
The only reason I ask is because any collagen you ingest will get reduced into amino acids through HCl or proteases, which means you can eat any protein and still get those same amino acids.