Published Paper Details:

Keratins are proteins that form hard fibres, present in wool, horns, hoofs and feathers etc. In the poultry industry, the feathers constitute up to 10% of total chicken weight. Uncontrolled disposal of feathers from the poultry slaughterhouses is troublesome to environment. Primary purification phase is necessary for isolating the keratin from other materials. The purification was conducted by washing with distilled water, detergent and petroleum ether and lastly again with water. Reducing agent used were sodium sulphide. Keratin is precipitated and purified from the chicken feather using ammonium sulphate. The amount of Keratin protein in extract was calculated by Lowry's method. Presence of Keratin was identified with the help of SDS PAGE and it was used to determine the molecular weight. Keratin protein was characterized using FTIR. The analysis of FTIR confirmed the presence of chemical compositions such as carboxyl and amino groups in the protein samples. Keratin protein solution was used in cosmetic product and, especially for hair care products such as detergents, shampoos, conditioners etc.