title: Composition analysis and application of degradation  products of whole feathers through a large scale  of fermentation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Feathers are one of the most abundant bioresources. They are discarded as waste in most cases and could cause environmental pollution. On the other hand, keratin constituted by amino acids is the main component of feathers. In this article, we reported on biorefined feathers and integrants and application of degraded products.
  
  
  METHODS
  The fermentation of whole chicken feathers with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia DHHJ in a scale-up of a 5-L bioreactor was investigated in this article. The fermentation process was controlled at 0.08 MPa pressure, 2.5 L/min airflow, and 300 rpm as 100% oxygen saturation level, 40°C, and pH 7.8.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Feathers were almost completely degraded in the tested fermentation reaction with the following conditions: 80 g of whole feathers in 3 L fermentation broth for 72 h, seed age of 16 h, 100 mL inoculation amount, and 50% oxygen saturation level. The degraded products contain 397.1 mg/L soluble protein that has mass weight ranging from 10 to 160 kD, 336.9 mg/L amino acids, and many kinds of metal ions. The fermentation broth was evaluated as leaf fertilizer and found to increase plant growth to 82% or 66% for two- or fourfold dilutions, respectively. In addition, in a hair care assay, the broth showed a hair protective function by increasing weight, flexibility, and strength of the treated hair.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The whole feathers were degraded completely by S. maltophilia DHHJ. The degraded product includes many factors to life, such as peptides, amino acids, and mineral elements. It could be applied as leaf fertilizer and hair care product.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Science & Technology of Eco-Textile, Donghua University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201620, China.
authors.forename: Zhang-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Lai-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Yun-Xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yong-Gang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.forename: Xing-Qun
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mei-Hua
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005241:Feathers; D005285:Fermentation; D006203:Hair Preparations; D006801:Humans; D007220:Industrial Waste; D063245:Plant Development; D059027:Recycling / Q000379:methods; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D020615:Stenotrophomonas maltophilia / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006203:Hair Preparations; D007220:Industrial Waste