Value adding hides: bovine hair an underutilised source of keratin

AMPC teamed up with the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to assess whether cattle hair could be turned into valuable products.

Bovine keratin is a hardy, fibrous protein. Market analysis as part of this project indicated the most credible near-term pathways were aquafeed ingredients and specialist fertiliser products in agriculture.

AMPC extension and adoption manager David Carew said hides had once represented a significant coproduct revenue stream but changing demand factors, such as the rising popularity of synthetics, had led to diminished returns.

This was an increasingly significant issue for red meat processors, particularly for small and regional facilities. 

Some were having to truck hides more than 1300 kilometres to find a market, Mr Carew said.

"In many cases, hides now represent a cost rather than a source of revenue, sparking a real need to explore solutions that support whole hide utilisation and improve processor returns," he said. 

CSIRO analysis showed declining demand for bovine hides reflected a combination of structural and market driven factors.

This includes changes in global hide supply such as the availability of larger hides from the United States, plus weaker downstream demand for leather in the automotive upholstery, footwear, fashion and furnishings industries.

At the same time, tighter environmental compliance requirements and rising operating and labour costs in importing markets like China and Europe were impacting demand.

AMPC program manager markets and integrity Dr Ann McDonald said one largely under-examined opportunity was the utilisation of bovine hair, which is composed predominantly of keratin.

Despite the large number of cattle processed annually in Australia, there is limited information on whether keratin can be effectively recovered from bovine hair, particularly hair generated during commercial tanning processes.

The research showed keratin could be recovered at high yields from both untreated, or native, hair and tannery hair waste from a  Sirolime process.

Sirolime is a de-hairing technology developed by CSIRO widely adopted in Australian tanneries.

"The work indicates Sirolime processing minimally alters hair composition but does not preclude recovery of keratin peptides, supporting the practicality of recovering value without changing existing de-hairing infrastructure," Dr McDonald said.

While aquafeed and fertiliser present as the most promising markets in the near future, numerous opportunities were identified, Dr McDonald said.

"Further work will likely focus on the use of the entire hide, rather than just the hair, to increase the keratin yield and ensure a more consistent and higher level of supply for commercial entities," she said.