Curing and Preservation of Hides and Skins

Abstract

Rawstock for leather making has traditionally required some form of preservation against bacterial damage. The oldest methods are drying and salting, both of which survive in the modern industry. Drying appears simple enough, but actually requires specific conditions of heat and shade to avoid incurring damage. Salting is still the commonest form of preserving rawstock and is well known as a feature of preserving foodstuffs. The technique for hides and skins also requires specific conditions of sufficient salt, of the right kind, applied uniformly, followed by appropriate storage. Salting on this scale is undesirable because of the environmental impact of the salt after use: it effectively cannot be reused or disposed of. Options for an alternative have been explored, but none has achieved commercial acceptance, with the possible exception of potassium chloride. The latest principle for exploitation is powdered vegetation as a source of bactericidal terpenes, with or without naturally bioaccumulated salt. Temperature control for preservation is well established, but it is limited in practice to short-term effectiveness of a few weeks.