The efficiency of using protein hydro-lyzate to stimulate the reproductive function of minks and improve the commercial properties of animal skins

From the point of view of solving the problem of feed supply in fur farming, the use of biologically active additives that normalize the protein balance is of great interest. The hydrolyzate obtained by the technology developed by us from the waste of fur farming is a highly digestible protein, is characterized by a high content of amine nitrogen, and contains all non-replaceable amino acids. The introduction of hydrolyzate from sable muscle tissue into the main diet of minks allowed to reduce by 1.3 times the number of missing female minks, to increase the yield of mink puppies per main female, increase the viability of the offspring. The efficiency of feeding the protein hydrolyzate in the diet of caged minks was assessed by the commercial properties of the skins. The most important indicators are the thickness of the skin and the ratio of its layers, on which the duration of processing of raw materials during production operations and indicators of the physical and mechanical properties of the skins depend. Analysis of the obtained measurements made it possible to conclude that feeding with protein hydrolyzate led to an increase in the thickness of the skin of various topographic areas of mink skins. The maximum value of the epidermis thickness was observed on the rump part, the minimum - on the spinal region, while the maximum number of guard hairs was noted on the spinal part, the minimum - on the lateral part of the mink skins. Thus, the results obtained indicate the effectiveness of using a protein hydrolyzate to stimulate the reproductive function of minks and improve the commercial properties of animal skins.