In this study, the possibility of keratin extraction from wool and feather by an enzymatic treatment along with a reducing agent has been investigated. The effects of different parameters, that is, enzyme loading, type of substrate and surfactant, hydrolysis time, and reducing agent concentration, have been examined in order to optimize the enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimal condition for maximum keratin extraction was attained by making use of 1 g/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (an anionic surfactant) and 2.6% (v/v) protease (Savinase), along with 8.6 and 6.4 g/L sodium hydrogen sulfite (a reducing agent) for wool and feathers, respectively, at liquor to fiber ratio of 25 mL/g for 4 hr. The obtained results indicated higher degradation of wool fiber in comparison with feathers, which might be due to the higher hydrophilic nature of the former. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) patterns revealed that the molecular weights of the extracted proteins from wool and feather were lower than those for the untreated fibers. Scanning electron micrographs showed fibers fibrillation and degradation upon enzymatic treatment. Besides, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated no evident changes in the chemical structure of the hydrolyzed fibers. However, wool and feather remainders were mostly composed of α-helix and β-sheets conformations, respectively.

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This research has explored the effect of laccase (Denilite II S) on the physical properties of the wool fabric and confirms the anti-felting of wool. In the experiment, laccase was applied to a wool fabric and different characteristics including weight loss, strength, alkali solubility, felting shrinkage, water drop absorption, and dye ability with madder were studied. The surface morphology of the wool fabrics was also observed by scanning electron microscope. The results indicated that the wool fabric treated with laccase has a higher water drop absorption, lower felting shrinkage, and lower values of a* and b*. Treatment of a wool fabric with 10% or lower percentage of laccase reduced the fabric weight but increased the tensile strength. However, using higher concentration of laccase reduced fabric weight and tensile strength. The dyeing of laccase pre-treated wool fabric with madder indicated a lower lightness.