Insights into the Molecular Composition of the Skins and Hides used in Leather Manufacture

Abstract

Increasing demand for information about the effects of thebeamhouse processes on animal skins and hides led to the needto determine the differences among different animal skins andhides at molecular level which results in significant changes intheir strength. This is a comprehensive study of the molecularcomponents of four animal skins commonly used to manufactureshoes, clothing and furniture to identify common indicators ofskin strength. First, the strength of each species was assessedusing tear strength and the denaturation temperature. Then theconcentration of the following molecular compounds: aminoacids, natural collagen crosslinks and glycosaminoglycans(GAGs) were determined. Significant differences in theirmolecular compositions were found particularly the types andamount of the natural collagen crosslinks which are known to beessential for skin strength. We found that sheep skin containedthe lowest collagen content and highest GAG concentrationscompared to goat and deer skins and cow hide. To the best of ourknowledge, this is the first time where the collagen crosslinks ofskin and hide of different species are measured and compared.This study shows that different species have different underlyingmolecular composition of skins and hides resulting in strengthdifferences. This understanding will help to modify the currentleather processing protocols to produce stronger leather.