LPT 312: Abattoir Practices and Animal Products Technology (1+1)

DEFECTS IN WOOL

• Some defects generally encountered in wool are hairiness, impurities, skirting, lack of uniformity and cotts (pressing together of coarse fibres).

Hairiness

• The presence in the true wool fleece of wool hair is a degrading factor.

Breaks

• Wool is very sensitive to nutritional factors, disease or changes of climate, pasture, etc.
• Droughts, fever, starvation or even pregnancy and lactation may result in a poorer fibre which breaks easily.

Cotts

• This term denotes a condition where the coarse fibres which are shed into the fleece become felted together.

Lack of uniformity

• Variation in length and diameter of the fibre in adjacent areas of the fleece is an undesirable factor.

Impurities

• Impurities in the fleece of vegetable or mineral origin, as well as brands made with hot irons or undesirable paint, and stains derived from urine, parasites, plants or bacteria are taken into consideration.
• Certain parasitic skin diseases also lead to degradation.

Skirting

• Skirting is a term denoting a process of separating inferior wool, such as dirty, greasy, seedy or hairy wool, from the more valuable part of the fleece.
• At the same time, coarse and stained britch wool and dirty bits from around the legs and brisket are removed.