Transparency in the collagen supplement industry is rare. Most brands publish minimal information about their products — a nutrition label showing total protein per serving, a list of certifications, and marketing language about sourcing. What they rarely publish: the actual heavy metal test results, the full amino acid breakdown, the molecular weight distribution of their peptides, or the complete product specification sheet.
AletaCollagen publishes all of this. Every document below is publicly available, downloadable, and independently verifiable. This page is the central reference point for all of our bovine collagen product documentation.
AletaCollagen Bovine Collagen: Official Documents
- 3rd Party Test Certificate (COA) — Independent lab analysis confirming purity, identity, and quality.
- Amino Acid Composition — Complete breakdown of every amino acid including glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.
- Dietary Nutrition Facts — Per-serving dietary nutrition panel.
- Full Nutrition & Product Spec — Complete PEPTIPLUS SB product specification sheet.
- OU Kosher Symbol Certificate — Orthodox Union Kosher Pareve and Passover certification, valid through March 2026.
How to Read the Certificate of Analysis
The Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the most important document in the supplement industry. It is produced by an independent, accredited third-party laboratory — not by AletaCollagen — and confirms that the product matches what is claimed on the label. AletaCollagen’s COA confirms:
- Identity: The product is confirmed to be hydrolyzed bovine collagen peptides — not a cheaper protein substitute, filler, or adulterated product.
- Protein content: The per-serving protein content matches the label claim. Each 10g serving delivers 9–10g of protein.
- Heavy metals: Lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury tested and confirmed below California Proposition 65 action levels — the strictest consumer safety standards in the United States.
- Microbial limits: Total plate count, yeast, mold, coliforms, E. coli, Salmonella, and Staph aureus all confirmed within food-grade safety limits.
- Moisture: Moisture content confirmed within specification, ensuring proper shelf stability.
The COA is batch-specific. Each production run has its own COA, allowing verification of the specific lot received. This batch-level documentation distinguishes AletaCollagen from brands that publish a single historical COA for marketing purposes without batch-by-batch verification.
Heavy Metal Testing: Methodology and Standards
Heavy metal contamination is one of the most significant safety concerns in collagen supplements. Bovine bone-derived collagen can accumulate lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals from the food chain, since bone is a biological mineral storage system. Independent consumer investigations have found elevated heavy metals in multiple popular collagen brands.
AletaCollagen tests for the four heavy metals of greatest concern:
- Lead (Pb): The most commonly elevated heavy metal in bone-derived collagen. Chronic low-level exposure affects neurological, kidney, and cardiovascular health. California Prop 65 Maximum Allowable Dose Level (MADL): 0.5 mcg/day.
- Cadmium (Cd): Accumulates in kidneys with repeated exposure. Prop 65 MADL: 4.1 mcg/day.
- Arsenic (As): Inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen. Testing measures total arsenic and confirms levels below all regulatory thresholds.
- Mercury (Hg): Methylmercury is a neurotoxin. Tested in all AletaCollagen products including marine collagen where mercury exposure from fish is a common concern.
Testing is performed using ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) — the gold-standard analytical method for trace mineral quantification, capable of detecting heavy metals at parts-per-billion concentrations. The analysis is performed by an ISO-accredited, independent laboratory. Results are compared against California Proposition 65 limits, which are significantly more protective than federal FDA thresholds for most contaminants.
AletaCollagen’s Amino Acid Profile: What It Means
Collagen is not a complete protein — it lacks tryptophan and is low in some essential amino acids. But it is extraordinarily concentrated in three amino acids that are rate-limiting for the body’s own collagen synthesis: glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.
Glycine: The Dominant Amino Acid
Glycine comprises approximately 33% of collagen’s total amino acid content. It occupies every third position in collagen’s repeating Gly-X-Y tripeptide structure — this is why glycine is so dominant. Research suggests that the body’s endogenous glycine synthesis cannot fully meet the demands of optimal collagen production, particularly during aging, recovery from injury, or intense physical training. Dietary glycine from collagen supplementation fills this gap.
Beyond collagen synthesis, glycine has documented roles in sleep quality (supports the core body temperature reduction associated with deep sleep onset), gut integrity (supports intestinal epithelial cell barrier function), and anti-inflammatory signaling pathways.
Proline and Hydroxyproline
Proline and its hydroxylated derivative, hydroxyproline, together account for approximately 20–22% of collagen’s amino acid content. Hydroxyproline is nearly unique to collagen — it is found in almost no other dietary protein. This makes hydroxyproline content a reliable marker of actual collagen peptide content versus generic protein filler (which would lack hydroxyproline).
Hydroxyproline is the key component of the bioactive dipeptide Pro-Hyp, which is absorbed intact through the intestinal wall and has been demonstrated in research to directly stimulate fibroblast collagen synthesis in skin tissue. This specific signaling mechanism — not available from non-collagen protein sources — is one of the primary reasons clinical trials on collagen supplementation show measurable skin effects that whey protein supplementation does not replicate.
Approximate Amino Acid Values (per 100g)
| Amino Acid | Approximate Content | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Glycine | 26–28g | Collagen structure, sleep, gut health |
| Proline | 12–15g | Collagen stability, Pro-Hyp dipeptide |
| Hydroxyproline | 9–12g | Collagen biomarker, Pro-Hyp dipeptide |
| Alanine | 9–11g | Structural amino acid |
| Arginine | 8–9g | Circulation support |
| Glutamic acid | 7–8g | Gut mucosal support |
The full amino acid composition document (linked above) provides exact values for the tested PEPTIPLUS SB specification.
The Nutrition Facts Label: What the Numbers Mean
AletaCollagen’s nutrition facts panel is simple because the product is a single ingredient:
- Serving size: 10g (one scoop)
- Calories: ~35–40 per serving (all from protein)
- Total protein: 9–10g per serving
- Total fat: 0g
- Total carbohydrates: 0g
- Sugar: 0g
Collagen peptides contribute essentially zero calories from carbohydrates or fat. The product is compatible with ketogenic, low-carb, carnivore, paleo, and intermittent fasting approaches. The lack of sugar is particularly important — unlike gummy collagen products (which often contain 16–50g of sugar per therapeutic dose), powder collagen adds protein without any glycemic impact.
The PEPTIPLUS SB Product Specification
AletaCollagen uses PEPTIPLUS SB collagen peptides manufactured by Gelita, the world’s largest collagen manufacturer with decades of pharmaceutical and food-grade collagen production. The full product specification sheet (linked above) includes:
- Physical and chemical specifications (particle size, moisture, pH, bulk density)
- Protein content specification range
- Microbiological specification limits
- Heavy metal specification limits
- Molecular weight distribution showing the Dalton profile of the hydrolyzed peptides
- Solubility specifications confirming complete dissolution in hot and cold liquids
The PEPTIPLUS SB designation refers to a Gelita product line engineered for optimal solubility and bioavailability. Precision enzymatic hydrolysis achieves a peptide molecular weight distribution in the 1,000–5,000 Dalton range — optimized for absorption via peptide transporter proteins (PEPT1) in the small intestine. This is the same source used in published clinical research on collagen supplementation.
Verifying the OU Kosher Certificate
AletaCollagen’s OU Kosher Pareve certification is independently verifiable through multiple channels:
- Download the certificate: The OU Kosher certificate linked above shows the certified company name, product, and validity period (through March 2026 for the current certificate).
- OU product database: Visit kosher.org and search for AletaCollagen or the manufacturer name to confirm current certification status.
- On the product label: The OU Pareve symbol appears on AletaCollagen packaging and is the most visible certification indicator.
The OU Kosher Pareve classification is particularly significant for bovine collagen: it indicates that the Orthodox Union has reviewed the source animals, slaughter method, processing facility, and production practices, and determined that the collagen qualifies as Pareve — neither meat nor dairy under Jewish dietary law. This classification allows AletaCollagen to be used with dairy coffee, dairy foods, or any meal without restriction.
Why Most Brands Don’t Publish Full Documentation
Transparency requires clean results. Most collagen brands don’t publish their full COAs, amino acid profiles, or product specification sheets because:
- Heavy metal results may be elevated, particularly for bone-derived collagen from unregulated supply chains
- Amino acid profiles may reveal adulteration — cheap collagen spiked with glycine or other individual amino acids to inflate the protein content reading without providing actual collagen peptides
- Molecular weight distribution may reveal inadequate hydrolysis producing large, poorly-absorbed peptide fragments
- Microbiological results may show sanitation issues
AletaCollagen publishes all documentation because our results support the claims we make. We source from Gelita and Fitgelatins — manufacturers supplying pharmaceutical and clinical-grade collagen globally — and the documentation reflects that standard of quality.
Ready to try it? Shop AletaCollagen OU Kosher bovine collagen peptides — independently 3rd party tested for heavy metals and OU Kosher certified. Prefer a pescatarian option? See our OU Kosher marine collagen from tilapia. Not sure which is right for you? Our bovine vs marine collagen comparison breaks down the key differences.
Further reading: The Complete Guide to Kosher Collagen — certification, types, benefits, and what to look for when buying.