Concentration of glycosaminoglycans and precursors thereto in food products

Accordingly, a method is provided for concentrating precursors to vertebrate connective tissue in foodstuffs to be ingested by humans and pets as part of their daily sustenance. The present method comprises the following steps: (a) providing raw vertebrate connective tissue; (b) disintegrating the raw vertebrate connective tissue into an aggregation of particles having a substantially homogenous particle size, preferably via an emulsification process, thereby forming liquefied connective tissue; and (c) thermally processing the liquefied connective tissue, resulting in a readily-edible foodstuff rich in chondroitin sulfates, glucosamine, and other connective tissue building blocks. Also provided herein are foodstuffs resulting from the method as well as foodstuffs comprising vertebrate connective tissue and at least one carrier substrate selected from the group consisting of farinaceous and proteinaceous carriers, with the foodstuffs having chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine concentrations of at least about 0.5 wt % and 0.3 wt %, respectively. Finally, a method of administering precursors to connective tissue is provided herein, comprising providing a foodstuff made from the above-described novel process steps, or having the above-described novel composition, and serving it to a human or pet, thereby representing both daily sustenance and an efficient way to consume therapeutic amounts of chondroitin sulfates, glucosamine, and other building blocks of connective tissue without the need to take pills or tablets.