An Integrated Two-Step Enzymatic Unhairing Strategy: Eliminating the Penetration Barrier via Soaking to Enhance Targeted Protease Action

The study presents a two-step enzymatic unhairing strategy that enhances the efficiency of leather processing by addressing the limitations of traditional enzymatic methods. By investigating the hydrolytic properties of keratinases on bovine hide proteins, the researchers developed a pretreatment process that opens intradermal penetration channels, reducing the time for unhairing proteases to reach hair follicles from over 3 hours to less than 1 hour. This method integrates keratinase pretreatment with targeted protease action, shortening the unhairing process by more than 50% and improving leather quality by limiting excessive protease action on the hide surface. The findings offer valuable insights for developing keratinases and designing integrated enzymatic soaking-unhairing technologies.