Patent ID: 7198647

Claim:
A method for unhairing animal skins or hides each having a flesh side and a grain side consisting the steps of: preparing a chemical-free enzymatic solution having no lime or sulfides therein from animal or plant tissue, presoaking the skins or hides in water at 10° C. to 60° C. for 2 to 6 hours, removing the water after the presoaking step, applying the enzymatic solution to the skins or hides by pasting or spraying the flesh side of the skins or hides, incubating the skins or hides at a temperature of 10° C. to 60° C. for 10 to 24 hours, wherein the skins or hides are arranged flesh side to flesh side or grain side to grain side, floating the skins or hides in liquid comprising the enzymatic solution, removing the skins or hides from the liquid comprising the enzymatic solution to produce an effluent and preparing the skins or hides for tanning by scraping the skins or hides with a curved knife on a wooden beam or using an unhairing machine to substantially completely unhair said skins or hides.