Abstract
Nutritional and environmental effects on the amino acid, wax, and suint contents and color of raw cashmere were investigated. Cashmere was obtained from goats fed with or without dietary protected protein, goats fed different levels of dietary energy and feeds, and goats from Australia, China, and Iran. The determined attributes included the production, diameter, length, fiber curvature, crimp, wax and suint contents, amino acid composition, lightness, and yellowness of cashmere. The content of suint, but not that of wax, was affected by nutrition management. The amino acid composition of cashmere was affected by the energy and protein nutrition, feed type, and country of origin. The amino acid composition of cashmere was different from that of guard hair. The lightness and yellowness of cashmere was affected by the nutrition treatment, grazing, cashmere production, and sum of the wax and suint contents of the raw cashmere. The variation in the amino acid composition of cashmere likely affected both its physical and chemical reactivity. Nutrition manipulation of cashmere goats and the origin of goats have implications with respect to the properties of cashmere as changes in fiber cell biosynthesis can alter the amino acid composition of the fiber. Β© 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010