I. The nutritive value of solubilized wool protein prepared by dissolving finely ground wool in sodium sulphide-sodium sulphite solution followed by precipitation with 40 % acetic acid has been tested by incorporating it into protein-free diets containing the amounts of vitamins and minerals required by weanling rats. 2. At the level of 10 % (w/w) of the diet, solubilized wool protein failed to...

Data on the effect of various alkaline reagents on the physical and chemical properties of wool yarn are presented. When wool is treated with dilute sodiumhydroxide solutions, a rapid splitting off of a portion of the sulphur occurs. On continued treatment, the sulphur content of the residual wool approaches a constant value of about 1.8 percent. The results indicate that the alkaline treatment...

Wool fabrics were treated with keratin hydrolysate in isolated systems, in systems incorporating a cross-linking enzyme, and in systems with nanoparticle silver. The dimensions of wool fabric were controlled after keratin applications and the strength of bleached wool fabric was improved. Keratin applications imparted these improved properties when applied alone and when applied with the enzyme...

Purpose Australia is the largest supplier of high quality wool in the world. The environmental burden of sheep production must be shared between wool and meat. We examine different methods to handle these co-products and focus on proportional protein content as a basis for allocation, that is, protein mass allocation (PMA). This is the first comprehensive investigation applying PMA for calculat...

An investigation into the moisture content in the fleece of Merino sheep was commenced after proposing the hypothesis that moisture and relative humidity were required at the skin surface for the survival of the 1st instar larvae and the initiation of a strike. A method for drying wool was developed which created a minimal disturbance to its normal constituents. It was shown that, in dry weathe...

Quantitative measurements of blood flow (BF) to skin and several other tissues were made using radioactive microspheres in conscious sheep. The sheep were from established flocks that had been selectively bred for greater (Fleece plus) or lesser (Fleece minus) wool production. The BF rate per unit area of wool-bearing skin was significantly greater in the Fleece plus (n = 9) than in the Fleece ...

The presence of dark fibres in white wool results in reduced profits or in cost recovery claims by wool processors and in reduced confidence in wool as an apparel fibre, which ultimately means lower prices for greasy wool. The allowances set by fabric manufacturers for contaminants are extremely small, typically no more than 3 contaminant faults per garment or per running metre of fabric, while...

The ability of a sheep to shed its own wool has an attraction in scenarios where the costs of harvesting wool outweigh its value. Certain breeds and composites have the ability to shed their wool in the spring, and these are investigated in this work in an attempt to outline the genetics of wool shedding. One flock from a breeding group in Southern England (UK) containing sheep with wool-sheddi...

Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is an inhibitor of canonical Wnt signaling pathway and regulates hair follicle morphogenesis and cycling. To investigate the potential involvement of DKK1 in wool production and quality traits, we characterized the genomic structure of ovine DKK1, performed polymorphism detection and association analysis of ovine DKK1 with wool production and quality traits in Chinese Merino. ...

The aims of this work were to quantify the requirements of Zn for wool growth in growing male Merino lambs, and to describe the histological lesions of Zn deficiency in skin and wool follicles. Four groups of male Merino lambs (n 4) weighing 22 kg were fed ad lib. for 96 d on diets that contained 4 (basal diet), 10, 17 or 27 mg Zn/kg. Sheep in a fifth group were fed on the diet containing 27 mg...