Shrinkage Temperature of Vegetable-Tanned Cow, Goat and Sheep Hides and Skins Previously Exposed to Low-Dose Electron-Beam Irradiation

Shrinkage temperature is a hydrothermal parameter used to assess the response of collagen-containing materials to heating in water. This study reports shrinkage-temperature measurements of cow, goat and sheep hides and skins following nominal low-dose electron-beam irradiation. Eighteen specimens were examined, comprising six pieces from each species. For each species, one specimen was assigned to each of six nominal dose levels: 0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 50 Gy. Irradiation was performed before vegetable tanning, and each species-dose combination contained only one specimen. Recorded control shrinkage temperatures were 75.7 °C for cow, 74.7 °C for goat and 76.0 °C for sheep. Across the tested doses, cow values ranged from 69.6 °C at 5 Gy to 75.5 °C at 20 Gy; goat values ranged from 69.6 °C at 50 Gy to 74.8 °C at 5 Gy; and sheep values ranged from 73.7 °C at 10 Gy to 75.5 °C at 5 Gy. At 50 Gy, shrinkage-temperature readings were 72.4 °C for cow, 69.6 °C for goat and 74.0 °C for sheep, representing decreases of 3.3, 5.1 and 2.0 °C, respectively, relative to controls. Dose values represent nominal irradiation settings because independent absorbed-dose verification was not documented. Given the single specimen per species-dose combination, findings are descriptive and do not permit estimation of within-group variability or statistical inference. The observed differences alone do not establish radiation-induced changes in collagen stability. These measurements provide preliminary comparative data on shrinkage-temperature readings in tanned leather produced from hides and skins exposed to low nominal electron-beam doses.