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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Preparation of Keratin Hydrolysate from Chicken Feathers and Its Application in Cosmetics
Published on: November 27, 2017
Decomposition of intact chicken feathers by a thermophile in combination with an acidulocomposting garbage-treatment
Yasushi Shigeri1, Tatsunobu Matsui, Kunihiko Watanabe
1Health Technology Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ikeda, Osaka, Japan. yasushi.shigeri@aist.go.jp
Abstract:
In order to develop a practical method for the decomposition of intact chicken feathers, a moderate thermophile strain, Meiothermus ruber H328, having strong keratinolytic activity, was used in a bio-type garbage-treatment machine working with an acidulocomposting process. The addition of strain H328 cells (15 g) combined with acidulocomposting in the garbage machine resulted in 70% degradation of intact chicken feathers (30 g) within 14 d. This degradation efficiency is comparable to a previous result employing the strain as a single bacterium in flask culture, and it indicates that strain H328 can promote intact feather degradation activity in a garbage machine currently on the market.
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