Abstract In the leather industry, proteases can be used as tools to achieve cleaner technology. In the present study, proteolytic preparations obtained from the latex of Carica papaya (Cp) and Vasconcellea quercifolia (Vq) were assayed as dehairing agents for leather processing. Both Cp and Vq showed activity against substrates representative of collagen, keratin, elastin, and epidermis in a range of moderate temperatures (25 to 55 °C). When comparing with a commercial dehairing enzyme, the activity of Cp and Vq on the substrates representative of epidermis and collagen was of around 70% and 100% of the commercial one, respectively, with that of Cp being more keratinolytic. Both Cp and Vq were able to dehair cowhides at 25 °C for 24 h without adding Ca(OH)2 or Na2S, two harmful pollutants used in conventional dehairing, Cp being more effective than Vq. Scanning electron microscopy microphotographs showed epidermis and hair-free hides with clean pores and without significant damage on the grain surface. Further, no damage was detected in collagen fibres and both Cp and Vq showed a slight opening of collagen fibres. We concluded that both Cp and Vq could be used as tools for a cleaner technology in tanneries, either for lime- and sulphide-free dehairing or for the treatment and valorisation of protein waste.

中文翻译：

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来自 Carica papaya 和 Vasconcellea quercifolia 的植物蛋白酶在制革厂清洁加工中的潜在应用

摘要 在皮革工业中，蛋白酶可作为实现清洁技术的工具。在本研究中，从 Carica papaya (Cp) 和 Vasconcellea quercifolia (Vq) 的乳胶中获得的蛋白水解制剂被用作皮革加工的脱毛剂。Cp 和 Vq 在中等温度范围内（25 至 55 °C）均显示出针对代表胶原蛋白、角蛋白、弹性蛋白和表皮的底物的活性。与商业脱毛酶相比，Cp 和 Vq 对代表表皮和胶原蛋白的底物的活性分别是商业脱毛酶的 70% 和 100%，其中 Cp 的角质分解能力更强。Cp 和 Vq 都能够在 25 °C 下将牛皮脱毛 24 小时，而无需添加 Ca(OH)2 或 Na2S，这两种传统脱毛中使用的有害污染物，Cp 比 Vq 更有效。扫描电子显微镜显微照片显示表皮和无毛生皮具有清洁的毛孔，并且没有对谷物表面造成明显损坏。此外，在胶原纤维中没有检测到损伤，Cp 和 Vq 都显示出胶原纤维的轻微打开。我们得出的结论是，Cp 和 Vq 均可用作制革厂清洁技术的工具，无论是用于无石灰和无硫化物的脱毛，还是用于蛋白质废物的处理和增值。