Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Mahnaz Salehi ¹
• Ali Maghsoudi ²

¹ Member of scientific board, Animal Product Processing Department, Animal Science Research Institute, Karaj, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Science and Center of Agricultural Biotechnology, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the physicochemical performances at three sites on skin, namely the diagonal, neck and leg based on different age groups. Eighteen skins pieces in 6 m, 6 m to 1 yr and 1 yr to 1.5 yr of age were selected to represent means of the respective age groups with regard to skin area. The skin area were7.4±1.41, 13.5±1.4 and 18.2±1.1 ft2 for the ostriches, respectively. The diagonal region, neck and leg parts were approximately 81.5, 10.1 and 8.4 percent of the skin area. The areas increased with an increased chronological age at all sites. Average skin area increased at a rate of 0.9 ft2 per each months of age. Average and range of thickness of the leather were 1.5±0.1 (0.6 to 3.0) mm, breaking load 22.2±3.3 (4.9 to 49.2) kgf, tensile strength 146.3±17.1 (70.5 to 269.7) kgf/cm2, percentage extension 58.7±4.9 (21.5 to 93.3) % and density were 0.6±0.05 (0.4 to 0.9) g/cm2. It was evident that leather thickness increased with age. A similar tendency was observed for tensile strength (P<0.01). Tensile strength from diagonal, neck and leg parts of the body were 129.0±26.3, 123.4±33.2 and 131.7±41.7 kgf/cm2 respectively which was statistically different (P<0.05). The overall means of ostrich leather for fat, water soluble material, organic soluble materials, non-soluble sulphate ash, minerals, nitrogen, protein and pH were 16.1±1.4, 1.5±0.6, 0.8±0.2, 0.8±0.3, 0.5±0.1, 9.6±0.3, 59.8±1.9 and 3.6±0.1 % resectivelly. The leather from legs had more water soluble material, organic soluble materials, non-soluble sulphate ash and minerals (P<0.05) compared to other regions of body. The amounts of fat in leather of ostrich with 6 month of age in diagonal region, was higher than older ostrich and the other regions of body (P<0.05). Nitrogen and protein was higher in >12 months of age (P<0.05) than the younger ostrich. It does, however, exert an important influence on the quality traits that were considered, and needs to be considered in the marketing of ostrich leather.

Keywords

• Area
• Ash
• Extesion
• Minerals
• nitrogen
• Strength
• Thickness

20.1001.1.20096776.1395.18.3.21.4