Methods of keratin extraction from poultry feathers and their effects on antioxidant activity of extracted keratin

The antioxidant activities of extracted keratin from chicken feathers using different chemical treatments including 2-mercaptoethanol (TME), sodium sulfite (SS), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were investigated using an in-vitro study. The results displayed that all of these methods have antioxidant potency. However, the reduction of keratin with SS displayed the best antioxidant potency with IC₅₀ value of 0.533 ± 0.061 mg/mL using DPPH radical scavenging assay with a porous surface morphology as monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared to raw feathers, all extracted keratins had lower decomposition temperatures and melting points investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) respectively. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed that the extracted keratins maintained the most amides bonds in the procedure of alkaline extraction.