Flow behavior of regenerated wool-keratin proteins in different mediums

Keratin is abundantly present in nature and the major component of hair, wool, feather, nail and horns. Dissolution of keratin is often required when non-textile applications are demanded. However, the low solubility of keratin in water is the major problem. It becomes unstable and precipitated when stored for a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to find a good solvent that provides high stability and easy processibility. In this research, we used formic acid and dimethylformamide (DMF) to dissolve regenerated keratin protein films. It is shown that formic acid is a good solvent for regenerated keratin proteins for the purpose of storage. Transparent and stable regenerated keratin solution is obtained in formic acid. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.