Abstract

In this study, preservation of sheepskins using the harvested Salicornia brachiata from tannery wastewater treated lands was used as a replacement for salt in the curing process. Treatment of raw sheepskins using S. brachiata at a concentration of 10% dry weight resulted in effective preservation at ambient temperature. The extractable nitrogen content was found to be 3.42mg/g at an optimized concentration of 10% S. brachiata. Bacterial count, moisture content, shrinkage temperature, visual and physical properties of Salicornia brachiata preserved skins was comparable to that of conventional salt cured method. The antimicrobial metabolite available in the essential oils and the salt present in the plant has resulted in effective preservation of the skins. The quality of the plant preserved skins was found to be on par with that of salt cured skins. The preserved skins did not bring about any structural modification in the collagenous network of the skin. The quality of the resultant crust leathers prepared from S. brachiata preserved skins was found to be comparable with control leathers.