Keratin Waste: The Biodegradable Polymers

Abstract

Keratins are everywhere, from being the major components of household dust to common contaminants of laboratory protein analysis. Keratin is the major structural fibrous protein belonging to the large family of structural proteins to form hair, wool, feathers, nails, and horns of many kinds of animals and has a high concentration of cysteine, 7-20% of the total amino acid residues, that form inter-and intramolecular disulfide bonds. Keratin wastes are considered as the environmental pollutants and produced mostly from the poultry farms, slaughterhouses, and leather industries. Keratin wastes are dumped, buried, used for landfilling, or incinerated and all these actions increase the threats of environmental hazards, pollution, negatively influence the public health, and increase greenhouse gases concentration. Nature has provided planet Earth with a variety of beneficial organisms. Soil is considered as a well-known source for the growth of keratinophilic microflora (fungi and bacteria), which have the capability to degrade the keratin waste. The keratindegradation ability of keratinophilic microflora has been credited with the production of the microbial keratinase enzyme and biodegradation takes place (enzymatic degradation). So, the keratin wastes are the biodegradable polymers. Keratinase is the industrially significant enzyme that offers bioconversion of keratin waste, utilization as animal feed supplements, and dehairing agents in tannery industries and textile industries.

In silico identification of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein–ACE2 complex inhibitors from eight Tecoma species and cultivars analyzed by LC-MS

“…[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] As an extension from our previous research work, 2,19,20 we conducted a screening for natural products that could possess potential anti-SARS actions, however with more focus on the plants reported to possess antiviral as well as antimalarial activities (compared to the antimalarial medication "chloroquine" with approved anti SARS-CoV activity 21 ). We found that among Tecoma species, T. undulata was reported to exhibit anti-HIV activity 22 and T. mollis possessed anti-malarial activity using chloroquine sensitive clones of Plasmodium falciparum. 23 These reports encouraged us to conduct an in silico exploration of some representative members of Tecoma species cultivated in Egypt namely i.e.…”

Closing the Loop with Keratin-Rich Fibrous Materials

“…IFs are embedded in the keratin matrix, an amorphous and rich in sulfur mass, characterized by cysteine-rich protein chains and high quantities of tyrosine, glycine, and phenylalanine residues [ 7 , 40 ]. α-keratins presents durability, resistance, and insolubility, at the same time constituting a danger for the environment due to α-helix chains which are resistant to microbial decomposition [ 1 , 18 ]. The constitutive amino acids of α-keratins are hydrophobic, namely methionine, valine, alanine, isoleucine, and phenylalanine [ 1 ].…”

“…Among keratinous materials, the most abundant and sustainable in nature is the chicken feather waste [ 17 ]. Globally quantity of feathers produced by poultry processing, as a by-product, was estimated at ~8.5 billion tons per year [ 1 , 18 ], while annual worldwide production of poultry encounters a continuous increase, anticipating reaching more than 24.8 billion animals in 2030 and 37.0 billion in 2050, respectively [ 10 , 19 ].…”

Contribution of Environmental Constituents in the Genomic Disruption of Cytokeratins

“…Although, Keratin are classified into alpha and beta keratins according to the amount of sulfur content and structure [11]. Alpha (α) keratin form epithelial layers in all vertebrates [12,13].…”