Fat rate determination

Determination of Oil Ratio
Determination of Oil Ratio

Wool is a kind of natural fiber of animal origin. After slaughter animals are slaughtered, their skin is processed and plate wool is obtained. In addition, the wool of animals that are dying for any reason is called wool wool. When plate wool or fleece wool is collected from the animal's skin, the hair roots are collected together. Therefore, the wool obtained from live animals is of lower quality.

Besides the hair roots, there are glands of oil and sweat in the skin. The sebaceous glands secrete oil to the root of the hairs. Sweat glands secrete the surface of the skin. Therefore, there are different amounts of oil and sweat salts in wool. There are also soil, grass, feces residues and similar dirt originating from the animal's environment. Based on the composition of untreated wool fibers, the following substances are found: 33 percent keratin, wool protein, 28 sweat salts, 26 percent dirt, 12 percent wool oil and 1 percent inorganic substances.

When the wool is washed, its weight decreases slightly. This reduction is one third of the coarse fiber weight, more than half of the fine fiber weight. This weight loss is called the attraction in the textile sector. In general, coarse fibers are referred to as low-drawn wool and fine fibers are called high-drawn wool.

The composition of fats in wool is cholesterol esters of fatty acids. Since actual oils are glycerin esters, these esters, ie wool oil, are considered to be a mixture of oil and wax. Wool oil is yellowish white and soluble in organic solvents.

In the accredited laboratories, oil ratio tests and analyzes are also performed. The standards adopted during these studies are as follows:

  • BS 3582 Method for the determination of oil and waxes in wool
  • TS 6999 EN ISO 3582 Flexible porous polymeric materials - Laboratory evaluation of horizontal combustion properties of small test specimens exposed to a small flame