Where Science Meets Innovation
The GELITA Life Science Institute is GELITA's central competence hub for life science, health and nutrition innovation.
From Expertise to Impact
Bringing together experts from science, formulations, regulatory affairs, applications, market intelligence and innovation, the institute transforms scientific knowledge into practical guidance, strategic insights and evidence-based solutions for customers, partners and expert communities worldwide. The mission of the GLI is to serve as the voice of science within GELITA, providing access to the latest scientific insights, technologies and emerging trends.
45+ Clinical Studies. One Scientific Perspective.
This includes translating and communicating evidence from more than 45 clinical studies, numerous scientific publications and expert articles across diverse health, nutrition and food applications.
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Connected Expertise for Better Innovation Decisions.
Transforming Scientific Knowledge into Practical Innovation Guidance.
Scientific Expertise Across Key Health Areas.
Discover the Breadth of Scientific Research Across Human and Pet Health.
Food, Nutrition & Healthy Product Design
Research and application expertise exploring how gelatine and collagen proteins support nutritional value, reformulation, texture, stability, mouthfeel and sensory quality in food and beverage applications. This includes concepts with less sugar or fat, higher protein content, improved nutrient density and consumer-friendly ingredient lists, while maintaining enjoyable consumption and reliable processing.
From Active Health to Better Everyday Nutrition
The GELITA Life Science Institute takes a holistic view of health and nutrition. This includes both active health benefits delivered by bioactive collagen peptides and passive health solutions that improve the nutritional profile of everyday foods and beverages.
By combining nutritional science with formulation and application expertise, the institute supports the development of products with less sugar or fat, higher protein content, improved nutrient density and consumer-friendly ingredient lists. At the same time, GELITA’s collagen proteins and gelatine help create the texture, stability, mouthfeel and sensory quality consumers expect.
This integrated approach enables customers to develop food, beverage and nutrition concepts that balance health benefits, enjoyable consumption and reliable processing — from functional drinks, bars and gummies to dairy products, desserts and other everyday food applications.
Meet the Leaders Behind the GELITA Life Science Institute
Connecting science, formulation and regulatory expertise to support smarter innovation decisions.
Dr. Johanna Schmidgall
Global Head of Technical Service & Product Development Food & Collagen Peptides
Dr. Johanna Schmidgall leads GELITA's global Technical Service and Product Development activities for food, beverage and collagen peptide applications. With more than 15 years of experience in the food, nutrition and ingredients industry, she combines scientific expertise with innovation-driven product development, helping translate market needs into successful solutions for customers worldwide.
“For me, the GLI represents a platform where experts from diverse scientific and technical disciplines collaborate to address targeted market and customer requirements at a scientific level. By integrating cross-functional expertise, the GLI develops solutions, provides sound answers that contribute to the continuous advancement of functional ingredients.”
Dr. Martin Hahn
Head of Global Emerging Platforms & Technologies
With more than 20 years of experience across science, biotechnology, product development and strategic innovation, Dr. Martin Hahn combines scientific expertise with entrepreneurial thinking and a passion for emerging technologies. In his role at GELITA, he focuses on identifying and developing new technology platforms that create future growth opportunities and translate scientific advances into market-relevant innovation.
“For me, the GLI is more than an innovation structure. It is a place where people with different expertise come together to turn ideas into relevant solutions. It connects scientific excellence with application know-how, customer proximity and a clear understanding of market needs. For customers, this means direct access to interdisciplinary expertise, faster translation of ideas into feasible concepts and stronger support in developing differentiated products. The GLI helps reduce complexity, accelerate innovation and create solutions that are not only technically sound, but also meaningful for the market.”
Dr.-Ing. Stephan Hausmanns
Vice President Market Management Collagen Peptides
Dr. Stephan Hausmanns brings extensive experience in collagen peptides, food ingredients and innovation management. Since joining GELITA in 2010, he has held leadership roles across sales, product management and business development, helping drive the global growth of the collagen peptide business. In his current role as Vice President Market Management Collagen Peptides, he focuses on market strategy, customer value creation and identifying new growth opportunities.
Prior to GELITA, Dr. Hausmanns held senior positions in new business development, innovation management and food biotechnology. He holds a PhD in Food Bioengineering and combines a strong scientific background with expertise in business and market development.
Michael Teppner
Vice President Global Marketing
Michael Teppner leads GELITA's global marketing and communication activities for collagen peptides and gelatin. With more than 30 years of experience in the collagen industry, he specializes in translating scientific research into market-relevant innovations and evidence-based communication. His focus areas include beauty, healthy aging, mobility and wellbeing.
In addition to his role at GELITA, Michael serves as President of GME (Gelatin Manufacturers of Europe) and Chair of the PR Working Group at EUSFI (European Specialty Food Ingredients Association).
Frequently Asked Questions About the GELITA Life Science Institute
Discover how science, expertise and evidence come together to support innovation in health and nutrition.
The GELITA Life Science Institute is GELITA's central hub for scientific expertise, innovation insights and evidence-based knowledge. It connects specialists from science, formulation, applications, regulatory affairs and market intelligence to support informed innovation decisions.
The institute supports food, beverage, supplement and pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as R&D, innovation, marketing and regulatory professionals seeking scientific insights and practical guidance for product development and commercialization.
The institute brings together expertise across life science, product formulation, application development, regulatory affairs, market intelligence and innovation to help translate scientific knowledge into practical business solutions.
By combining scientific evidence, market insights and technical expertise, the institute helps identify opportunities, evaluate emerging trends and support the development of differentiated products and concepts.
Yes. The institute makes scientific knowledge accessible by sharing insights from GELITA’s growing body of evidence, including more than 45 clinical studies, numerous scientific publications and expert articles across health, nutrition and food applications.
Scientific evidence provides the foundation for responsible innovation. The GELITA Life Science Institute helps transform research findings into actionable insights that support product development, communication strategies and long-term innovation planning.
