ARS | Publication request: PREPARATION OF BIOIPOLYMERS FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATION IN LEATHER PROCESSING

Submitted to: American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 1, 2004
Publication Date: August 1, 2004
Citation: Taylor, M.M., Marmer, W.N., Brown, E.M. 2004. Preparation of bioipolymers from renewable resources for potential application in leather processing [abstract]. 227th American Chemical Society National Meeting. Paper No. CELL 87.

Technical Abstract: Preparation of biopolymers formed by crosslinking dissimilar proteins is an area of growing interest. These products have the advantage of possessing the unique properties of each protein and have the potential for generating novel products with improved functionality and thermal stability. We have demonstrated that gelatin, a by-product from the processing of hides to leather, can be crosslinked enzymatically to give products with improved physical and functional properties and, by SDS-PAGE, have shown that the protein has been polymerized by enzymatic crosslinking. We are examining individually the properties of modified proteins from other renewable resources, specifically casein, ovalbumin and whey, as well as their enzymatically combined products with gelatin. The physical properties and molecular weight distribution of the gelatin conjugate products show that the degree of crosslinking was enhanced by addition of even small amounts of the secondary protein. These unique reactions have the potential of generating products used in leather processing, more specifically in preparation of coatings and/or fillers for leather.