Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of producing wool or animal hair material with improved properties such as shrink-proofed (anti-felting tendency), increased whiteness, improved dyeability, increased softness and/or reduced pilling tendency, the method comprising the steps of treating wool, wool fibers or animal hair material in a process selected from the group consisting of plasma treatment processes and the Delhey process, and subjecting the wool or animal hair material to a treatment with a proteolytic enzyme (a protease), preferably a serine protease, more preferably a subtilisin, in an amount effective for improving the properties.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 6, 1997
Date of Patent:
July 10, 2001
Assignee:
Novozymes A/S
Inventors:
Lone Dybdal, Elisabeth Heine, Hartwig Hocker