Designing the Future of Protein – Why Efficiency and Ovitage® Sheep Proteins Are the Next Frontier
Executive Summary
The protein boom has fuelled growth in bars, shakes, powders, and supplements. But the next generation of innovation is no longer about how many grams of protein can be crammed into a product, it’s about delivering the right protein.
Product developers are now under pressure to formulate with proteins that are efficient, bioactive, and relevant to specific consumer needs. Ovitage®, the world’s first ovine (sheep skin–derived) collagen protein platform, answers this demand. It offers a targeted and relevant amino acid profile, greater bioactivity, and a sustainability story that resonates with both formulators and end consumers.
For women’s health (a category growing at double-digit CAGR) Ovitage® provides a differentiated, science-backed foundation for products that move beyond generic “protein fortification” to targeted nutrition solutions.
1. The Shift in Protein: From Quantity to Quality
The global protein market has matured. Demand remains high, but simply fortifying with whey, soy, or generic collagen with a poor environmental profile is no longer enough. Three trends are reshaping product development:
Precision Nutrition
Consumers expect products designed for their age, gender, and health stage.
Women’s health is critically underserved, with most protein products designed for male athletes or generic wellness (1). Designing nutrition for women as if they were men but smaller is not acceptable.
Protein Efficiency
Quality is now measured by bioavailability, amino acid composition, and clinical relevance for the particular age and stage of the targeted consumer. Quantity is important, but is not sufficient, quality has to be considered also (2).
Formulators want proteins that deliver outcomes at lower inclusion rates for their targeted consumer needs, improving functionality and sensory balance.
Sustainability & Provenance
Provenance and upcycling are now market drivers. The conscientious consumer is a growing segment and presents an opportunity for brand owners who address their demand for clarity on provenance, and a risk for those that do not. Developers seek proteins with transparent sourcing and clean-label sustainability narratives (3).
2. Why Ovitage® is a Next-Gen Protein Platform
Unlike bovine or marine collagens, Ovitage® is derived from whole ovine skins, a more biologically complex and, as a result, under-utilised resource in global agriculture. By unlocking this complexity and transforming it into a bioactive source for high-value nutrition, Ovitage® delivers differentiation on multiple fronts:
Superior Amino Acid Profile
Ovitage® contains higher levels of cystine, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and tyrosine compared to bovine and marine equivalents as a result of the complex structure and composition of whole sheep skin.
These amino acids are linked to muscle strength, bone density, metabolic efficiency, hair and skin health as well as cognitive resilience (4,5).
Each gram consumed therefore delivers targeted benefits more efficiently, not simply fulfilling a daily protein requirement.
Bioactivity Beyond Beauty
Where marine and bovine collagens are marketed mainly for cosmetic benefits, the bioactivity of Ovitage® supports multi-system health: skin, hair, muscle, gut, bone, joints, and neurological function as a result of its unique composition.
Evidence shows that collagen peptides may reduce joint pain and improve bone metabolism (6,7). Cystine rich peptides go further, aiding tissue repair in the gut and combatting inflammation by supporting glutathione and taurine metabolism. This opens pathways for women’s health formulations.
Digestibility & Tolerance
Collagen peptides are a well-established, highly digestible and rapidly absorbed form (8), making them suitable for efficient delivery.
Sustainability Advantage
By upcycling sheep skins, Ovitage® creates a closed-loop protein system that reduces waste and unlocks new value chains for farmers. By sourcing from New Zealand farms, Ovitage® enables traceability back to the farm gate and guarantees overcoming concerns of bovine collagen associated with factory farming practices in South America and clear felling of rainforest for agriculture. This creates an ethical sourcing opportunity for brands.
Upcycling, transparency and providing a superior environmental footprint aligns with global sustainability targets and consumer preferences for upcycled ingredients (9).
3. Women’s Health as the Protein Growth Engine
For product developers, the women’s health space is both underserved and rapidly expanding:
By 2030, 1.2 billion women will be post-menopause globally (10).
Women spend up to 25% more of their lives in poor health compared to men (11, 12).
Collagen and amino acid intake are strongly linked to muscle retention, bone health, and skin elasticity during perimenopause and post-menopause (13,14).
Ovitage® proteins directly map to these gaps in a way conventional collagen and other proteins cannot, offering targeted support for muscle decline, bone fragility, metabolic imbalance, and skin integrity.
4. What Ovitage® Means for Product Developers
Formulation Advantages
Lower dose, higher impact: Efficient delivery of the right amino acids allows for meaningful claims at smaller serving sizes.
Versatile applications: Ovitage® is suitable for powders, capsules, ready-to-drink beverages, and functional foods.
First-mover advantage: Sheep-derived proteins are novel, creating space for category-defining innovation.
Market Advantages
Science-backed storytelling: Clinical relevance of amino acids strengthens substantiation for claims with a dossier of published data demonstrating connection to health benefits.
Sustainability narrative: Upcycling and provenance from New Zealand provides substance to claims and resonates with consumers seeking transparency.
Differentiation: Ovitage® avoids the commoditisation trap of bovine and marine collagen.
5. Conclusion: The Future Belongs to Efficient Proteins
The next wave of protein innovation isn’t about “more grams”, it’s about better proteins.
For product developers, Ovitage® represents the future: a sheep-derived protein platform that is efficient, bioactive, and sustainable; uniquely suited to the unmet needs of women’s health.
By embracing Ovitage® now, developers can seize first-mover advantage, build science-led portfolios, and create products that stand out in a crowded protein market, while delivering real health impact for consumers.
References
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König, D., Oesser, S., Scharla, S., Zdzieblik, D., & Gollhofer, A. (2018). Specific collagen peptides improve bone mineral density and bone markers in postmenopausal women. Nutrients, 10(1), 97.
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Global Burden of Disease [GBD] Study (2020). Global burden of disease results. The Lancet, 396(10258), 1204–1222.
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