Eco-Friendly Biodegradation of Skins and Hides by Keratinolytic Fungus Cladosporium sp.

As a result of population growth and changes in lifestyles, livestock and meat production is increasing throughout the world. Therefore, a large amount of keratinaceous waste is generated annually from food and leather industry. The conventional method of hair removal in the leather industry through all the chemical processes used creates a great concern for the environment, being a major contributor to the production of waste water. The enzymatic process through microorganism is an eco-friendly option to reduce the oxygen demands in leather processing. In biodegradation and bioremediation processes, waste or polluting products found in different waste substrate can be transformed or converted into unpolluted end products. Our experiments are related to the biodegradative potential of fungi in reducing and reusing waste from the leather industry. The aim of the present study was to evidence the biodegradative ability of the fungal strain Cladosporium sp. on keratin wastes.