posted on 2023-05-26, 09:29authored byHolman, BWB, Malau-Aduli, AEO
The commercial value of unprocessed wool is determined by its intrinsic quality; an indication of capacity to meet both processor and consumer demands. Wool quality is evaluated through routine assessment of characteristics that include mean fibre diameter, coefficient of variation, staple characteristics, comfort factor, spinning fineness, fibre curvature and clean fleece yield. The association between these characteristics with wool quality stems from their correlation with raw wool processing performance in terms of speed, durability, ultimate use as apparel or carpet wool, and consumer satisfaction with the end-product. An evaluation of these characteristics allows wool quality to be objectively quantified prior to purchase and processing. The primary objective of this review was to define and explore these aforementioned key wool characteristics, focusing on their impact on quality, desirable parameters and methodology behind their quantification. An in-depth review of relevant published literature on these wool characteristics in sheep is presented.
History
Publication title
Annual Review & Research in Biology
Volume
2
Article number
1
Number
1
Pagination
1-14
ISSN
2231-4776
Publication status
Published
Rights statement
Licenced by Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)