Executive Summary: Pelts2Protein – Small Scale Trials – Extension Project

Summary of Project and Key Findings:
The Pelts to Protein (P2P) process uses food-grade enzymes and food-grade chemicals to depilate wool from pelts [and hair from hides] as a practical alternative to chemical (“sulphide”) processing. The key advantages of the process are:

1. The use of food-grade chemicals and enzymes (USDA GRAS) enables the pelts and hides to be “up-valued” as export food-grade protein sources.
2. The process does not produce toxic wastes streams. The P2P process is more environmentally friendly than the standard process and may lead to more sustainable fellmongery operations in New Zealand.
3. The process has been demonstrated in an existing industrial fellmongery.
4. The process has been demonstrated at small scale using readily available “low-tech” equipment.

Building on previous Bioresource Processing Alliance funded projects, this trial:

• Processed and de-wooled fifteen pelts at a NZ export abattoir using readily available equipment to generate samples for evaluation.
• Gathered feedback from a key client of the partner abattoir regarding the suitability of the samples as a raw material and preferred form factors.
• Received the endorsement of all parties to develop the technology further.
  The recommended Next Steps are to:
• Optimise and codify the process to provide a consistent skin quality
• Work with a laboratory to develop product specifications that demonstrate compliance with, and align to, AAFCO specifications and formats.
• Develop a process specification and equipment list to enable the partner abattoir to further develop their business case.