Evaluation of thermally hydrolyzed specified risk materials cross-linked with glutaraldehyde for tackifier applications

Abstract

Specified risk materials (SRMs) are the tissues in cattle where misfolded proteins that cause "mad cow disease" are likely to concentrate, and thus they must be segregated from normal consumption. In this study, peptides derived from SRM hydrolysates were characterized and applied in the development of tackifiers. As one of the key components of a hydro-mulch mixture, tackifiers are employed to bind wood fibres and seeds of plants to the soil in order to facilitate improved rooting. However, sufficient hydrophobicity is also required by tackifiers to prevent diffusion and loss of function when exposed to high levels of moisture. Thus, glutaraldehyde cross-linking was examined to moderate hydrophobicity of SRM-derived peptides. Moreover, other characteristics of the peptides and cross-linked products were assessed and compared with commercial tackifiers. This demonstrated the competitiveness and potential of our SRM bioconversion strategy to produce tackifiers.