Extraction of keratin from Waste Biomass for Novel Biomaterial Synthesis

Abstract

Keratin is a structural protein which is highly stable and a biodegradable biopolymer. Hair composes of roughly 65–95% protein. Keratin protein is organized into filaments of hair cells forming a polypeptide chain. Due to the potential of keratin derived biomaterials being intrinsically biocompatible, ecological and naturally abundant has various applications in the field of biomedical technology. In this study, human hairs were collected from a hairdressing salon in Waknaghat, Himachal Pradesh India. Hairs were thoroughly washed with detergent and dried using a ventilated oven at 40°C for 24 h. Further washing with ethanol (90 % v/v) to disinfect and sterilize hair followed by chopping (20-25 cm) using a scissor and stored in a sealable bag. Hair was subjected to dissolution in an alkaline solution of 8% NaOH. Dissolution of hairs was done at 37°C in an incubator for 6-8 h. The dissolved mixture was filtered and human hair hydrolysate was precipitated with HCl (concentrated) under shaking conditions. Then, dialysis was performed for 2 h to remove unwanted salts and chemicals. The dialyzed sediments were crushed using liquid N2 in mortar and pestle to procure keratin powder. The total yield of extracted keratin powder was 83.41%. Furthermore, the extracted keratin powder could be used for producing a novel bio-product as we know waste biomass is posing a great threat to the environment. Thus, this study provided an easy and efficient method to extract keratin from waste biomass that could raise up the pharmaceutical industry in conjunction with the cosmetic industry.