Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Limed Trimmings: Preparation, Characterization and Application of Collagen Hydrolysate

Abstract

Limed pelt trimmings are one of the solid wastes that are generatedin leather processing. These wastes are valuable resources forproducing collagen hydrolysate, which can be potentially used forretanning of leathers. This work establishes the preparation,characterization and application of collagen hydrolysate byenzymatic hydrolysis of limed trimmings. The collagenhydrolysate was prepared using various concentration of trypsin.The hydrolysate samples were characterized using Fast ProteinLiquid Chromatography (FPLC) and Matrix Assisted LaserDesorption Ionization-Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) techniques.About 6 predominant fractions of collagen hydrolysate peptideswere observed from the enzymatic hydrolysis. The molecularweight of collagen hydrolysates was observed to be in the rangebetween 1750 and 5800 daltons. The collagen hydrolysatesprepared using various concentration (0.8, 1.0 and 1.2%) of trypsinwere used for retanning process. The collagen hydrolysate productobtained from hydrolysis with (0.8% trypsin, 3 hours) exhibitedbetter dye uptake when used as retanning agent. Furthermore,collagen hydrolysate retanned leathers exhibited very goodstrength properties in comparison to leathers processed usingcontrol protein syntan. The option of internalizing the waste onone side and using them as a substitute for a high value product onthe other presents the utilization of limed trimming as a strongcase for sustainable leather manufacture.