Abstract
We have recently developed new methods by which we can identify the animal species based on the difference in the amino acid sequences of keratin proteins using SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. In this paper, we report the effect of processing, especially dyeing, on the identification of animal species. The method was also successfully applied for identifying animal species in blends with natural fibers, chemical fibers, and other animal fibers. Camel, alpaca, horse, rabbit, and other animal hair fibers were used and animal species-specific peaks were observed in MALDI-TOF mass analysis.
