What is ISO 20418‑3 about?
ISO 20418 discusses the qualitative and quantitative proteomic analysis of some animal hair fibres for textiles. ISO 20418‑3 is the third part of the multi-series ISO 20418 and discusses peptide detection using LC-MS without protein reduction.
ISO 20418‑3 specifies a qualitative and quantitative procedure to determine the composition of animal hair fibre blends (made of wool, cashmere, yak, alpaca, camel, or angora) by LC-MS without protein reduction.
Who is ISO 20418‑3 for?
ISO 20418‑3 on peptide detection from leather is useful for:
- Leather manufacturers
- Quality control personnel
- Research and development personnel
Why should you use ISO 20418‑3?
Cashmere is a long slender fibre obtained from cashmere goats and is expensive because of its high quality and rarity. Mislabelling or adulteration of cashmere products blended with other cheapest animal fibres such as sheep wool and yak have been repeatedly reported worldwide. Animal fibres consist of proteins called keratins and some associated proteins. Therefore, the most promising methods to identify fibres are based on the analysis of proteins contained in textiles. LC-MS is an analytical technique that involves the physical separation of target compounds (or analytes) followed by their mass-based detection.
ISO 20418‑3 provides the required guidance on conducting LC-MS method for peptide detection from leather including symbols and abbreviated terms needed, principle to be used for performing the method, reagents and apparatus, test method and calculation expression.
Leather is produced from animal skin by chemical tanning using chrome or vegetable agents.  The tanning process provides high mechanical strength and stability against heat and moisture by cross-linking collagen, which is a major protein component in skin. Therefore, for the safety purpose of the end-users, it is necessary to determine the protein from the leather products. ISO 20418‑3 ensures to provide transparency for maintaining the quality and value of leather goods in the global supply chain, it has become necessary to verify the specific animal origin of such products.
