Abstract

A number of available techniques are surveyed for their efficiency in solubilising collagen from sheepskin waste. The most efficient solvents are found to be 3 acetic acid, and hydrochloric acid. The yield of collagen is increased if the raw material is given a pre-treatment with a-amylase or EDTA, and is greatly increased further if, after this treatment, it is homogenised in a Waring Blender with a swelling solvent such as 3° acetic acid. With both the above solvents up to 55% of the available collagen can be solubilised. The collagens prepared by the above methods show the band patterns in the electron microscope characteristic of native collagen, and show typical amino acid analyses.

It is suggested that the most efficient way to utilise skin waste is to recover as much of the collagen as possible for use in re-constitution pur poses, and use what remains as a prolein supplement to animal feeding stock.