Compound enzymatic hydrolysis of feather waste to improve the nutritional value

Although feather waste is generated abundantly but rich in natural protein, it is hassled to be digested. To improve the nutritional value of feather waste, compound enzymatic hydrolysis (CEH) was applied to degrade feather waste. Results indicated that the nutritional value of feather meal (FM) produced with CEH was improved in terms of protein solubility increase to 20.75 times and in vitro protein digestibility increase to 10.27 times as compared to fresh FM; this improvement was ascribed to the keratinase breaking up disulfide bond and compound enzymes destroying the smooth surface structure, compact β-sheet structure, and hydrogen bond. In conclusion, CEH is an effective and promising approach to improve the nutrient value of feather waste. The results shed light on the utilization of feather waste for protein resource in feed industry.