Effect of Ultrasound Treatment on the Structural and Techno-Functional Properties of Feather-Derived Keratin
- 1Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, 34469 Maslak, Istanbul, Türkiye
- 2Senpilic Gida San. A.S., 54700 Geyve, Sakarya, Türkiye
- 3Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Sakarya University, 54187 Serdivan, Sakarya, Türkiye
Abstract
Chicken feathers, an underutilized poultry-processing by-product, are a rich keratin source whose native disulfide-crosslinked structure limits solubility and functional applicability. This study investigated the effects of probe ultrasound treatment (30–60% amplitude, 10 min) on the structural and techno-functional properties of alkali-extracted chicken feather keratin (CFK) to support its valorization in various applications. Control (untreated) and ultrasound-treated CFK samples were characterized by FTIR, SDS–PAGE, free sulfhydryl (–SH) content, ζ-potential, surface hydrophobicity, antioxidant activity (ABTS and CUPRAC assays), in vitro protein digestibility, water solubility, oil-holding capacity, and emulsifying and foaming properties. FTIR and SDS–PAGE revealed that the characteristic amide bands and apparent molecular-weight profile of keratin were mainly preserved following ultrasound treatment, whereas Amide I deconvolution indicated an amplitude-dependent reduction in native β-sheet content and Ellman’s assay showed a loss of free –SH groups. Ultrasound treatment enhanced several functional properties in an amplitude-dependent manner. Surface hydrophobicity, oil-holding capacity, emulsifying activity, and ABTS-based antioxidant activity showed the highest values at 40% amplitude, while water solubility and emulsion stability were highest at 60%. The in vitro digestibility remained above 90% for all samples. These findings show that ultrasound treatment can modify the functional performance of feather keratin in an amplitude-dependent manner without marked changes in its apparent molecular-weight profile or its major amide bands, supporting its potential as a functional ingredient for various applications.
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BibTeX
@article{akkuzu2026effect,
title = {{Effect of Ultrasound Treatment on the Structural and Techno-Functional Properties of Feather-Derived Keratin}},
author = {Nisa Akkuzu and Betül Unur and Rukiye Gundogan and Tuncay Özdemir and Gulsah Karabulut and Ebru Firatligil and Asli Can Karaca},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31214037},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/4037},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effect of Ultrasound Treatment on the Structural and Techno-Functional Properties of Feather-Derived Keratin
AU - Nisa Akkuzu
AU - Betül Unur
AU - Rukiye Gundogan
AU - Tuncay Özdemir
AU - Gulsah Karabulut
AU - Ebru Firatligil
AU - Asli Can Karaca
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/09
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31214037
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/4037
AB - Chicken feathers, an underutilized poultry-processing by-product, are a rich keratin source whose native disulfide-crosslinked structure limits solubility and functional applicability. This study investigated the effects of probe ultrasound treatment (30–60% amplitude, 10 min) on the structural and techno-functional properties of alkali-extracted chicken feather keratin (CFK) to support its valorization in various applications. Control (untreated) and ultrasound-treated CFK samples were characterized by FTIR, SDS–PAGE, free sulfhydryl (–SH) content, ζ-potential, surface hydrophobicity, antioxidant activity (ABTS and CUPRAC assays), in vitro protein digestibility, water solubility, oil-holding capacity, and emulsifying and foaming properties. FTIR and SDS–PAGE revealed that the characteristic amide bands and apparent molecular-weight profile of keratin were mainly preserved following ultrasound treatment, whereas Amide I deconvolution indicated an amplitude-dependent reduction in native β-sheet content and Ellman’s assay showed a loss of free –SH groups. Ultrasound treatment enhanced several functional properties in an amplitude-dependent manner. Surface hydrophobicity, oil-holding capacity, emulsifying activity, and ABTS-based antioxidant activity showed the highest values at 40% amplitude, while water solubility and emulsion stability were highest at 60%. The in vitro digestibility remained above 90% for all samples. These findings show that ultrasound treatment can modify the functional performance of feather keratin in an amplitude-dependent manner without marked changes in its apparent molecular-weight profile or its major amide bands, supporting its potential as a functional ingredient for various applications.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -