Keratin isolation methods from waste goose feather: an effective comparison

Keratin is a fibrous, structured protein that constitutes the basis of different structures such as nails, hair, beak, wool, feathers, claws, and horns. Until now, keratin isolation has been carried out from waste wool, feather, hoof and hair. However, the development of effective techniques to obtain keratin without any damage to the secondary structure of the protein remains a challenging task. Here in, two distinct keratin isolation methods (Na2S and EDTA) were compared for the first time from Domestic Goose (Anser domesticus) feathers. Kjeldahl method was used for the determination of crude protein from the obtained keratin powders by two methods, and antioxidant activity of keratin powders was conducted. Our findings suggest that Na2S method displayed the best keratin yield (86.34%) from goose feather; however, antioxidant activity of EDTA method was nearly three times higher than Na2S method, which could be taking into consideration as a potential keratin source for future studies.