Enzymes in the Leather Industry, a special review paper

Abstract

The leather industry has been facing new challenges including the need to improve and optimize processes to achieve the required quality in their final articles and meet the requirements of environmental legislation. The enzymatic treatment of leather is a promising technology. Enzymes are organic substances, generally proteins, known as biocatalysts for multiplex chemical reactions. They have been explored commercially in the detergent, food, pharmaceutical, diagnostic, fine chemical and other industries. Commonly, the most promising enzyme sources are microorganisms. Several studies have reported enzyme use in different stages of leather production, describing a decrease in the use of chemicals for the depilation and liming steps, and some have also reported the complete replacement of chemicals with enzymes. Some authors use enzymes to increase the exhaustion of dyes in dye baths and to increase the effectiveness of tanning in the tanning step. The identification of a new enzyme is a long process, requiring screening for specific criteria, isolation and selection of new bacteria, and the investigation of the nutrients and conditions necessary for growth and enzyme production by the selected microorganism. Finally, issues such as pH, temperature and product inhibition of the enzyme during its application in the processing of skins/hides should be studied.