Versatility of Collagen as a Natural Biopolymer for Biomedical, Food, and Cosmetic Applications

Collagen is the most abundant structural protein and an essential connective tissue constituent. It plays vital roles in the body and is found in different tissues, including tendons, cartilage, bones, and skin. Collagen is mainly extracted from marine and animal sources (such as fish, cows, pigs, etc.). Synthetic biology platforms have recently gained significant attention by producing non-native collagen substitutes. The multi-purpose uses of collagen and collagen-based products have increased the growing demand for collagen in various industrial applications, including biomedical, food, and cosmetics. The inherent characteristics of collagen, such as its biodegradability, biocompatibility, hemostatic activity, etc., are commonly employed in many biomedical applications. Collagen is widely used in the biomedical industry for drug delivery systems, scaffolds for tissue regeneration, medical devices, bio-inks,etc. It is used in cosmetics for its moisturizing and anti-aging properties. In addition, food-grade collagen is used in many functional foods as a health supplement. The current review describes the collagen's structures, types, and sources. Later, it discusses collagen's versatile applications as a natural biopolymer in biomedical, food, and cosmetic fields.The potential collagen marketand sustainable collagen production with a synthetic biology platform have also been covered.