Keratinbaserade

Keratinbaserade refers to materials or products based on keratin, a fibrous structural protein found in hair, nails, hooves, horns, and feathers. Keratin can be extracted from keratin-rich waste streams such as hair, wool, and feathers and processed into usable keratin-based materials for cosmetics, biomedicine, and industrial uses.

Extraction often uses reducing agents to break disulfide bonds, followed by purification. The resulting keratin is processed into hydrogels, films, fibers, powders, or composites with other polymers. The processing controls properties like stiffness and degradability.

Keratin is biocompatible and biodegradable and can be tailored by crosslinking or blending. It can support cell adhesion in some formulations and is generally mild in biological contexts.

In cosmetics, keratin is used to reinforce hair and improve elasticity. In biomedicine, keratin-based materials serve as wound dressings, tissue-engineering scaffolds, and drug-delivery systems. In industry, they appear as biodegradable films or coatings.

Advantages and challenges: Benefits include renewable, waste-derived resources and compatibility with living tissue. Challenges include source variability, processing costs, potential allergens, and regulatory requirements for medical or cosmetic products.

Sustainability and regulation: Sourcing from animal byproducts raises ethical considerations; regulatory controls vary by region and application, including purity, labeling, and safety testing.