Development of an Alternative Low Salt Bovine Hide Preservation using PEG and Crude Glycerol, Part II: Mechanical Properties of Leather Products

Abstract

To obtain good quality leather products, the hides from which they are derived should be preserved properly while in storage and transit to prevent putrefaction. Current practice for hide preservation is salt curing via The objective of the current study is to develop alternative brining processes that require lesser amounts of salt and have no adverse effect on the resulting leather products. By incorporating a dehydrating agent such as polyethylene glycol polymers (PEG), only a fraction of the commonly used amount of salt is necessary (from about 50% to less than a 25% of the weight of raw hide) to generate an efficiently preserved hide. The scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images and mechanical properties of the resulting crust leather products were comparable to the control obtained from traditionally preserved hides. To compensate for the potential over drying and formation of very tight grain, a humectant such as glycerol (with sodium carbonate) was also included. The rehydration of the test preserved hides is completed in a shorter period of time because the amount of salt in the hides is already quite low. Considering the low cost in obtaining the crude glycerol and its positive effects on quality of leather, it is quite desirable as an ingredient in the new alternative less salt hide preservation.