Protein Facts

This book follows the author’s popular title ‘Fungal Facts’ and is designed to help collections managers, conservators, curators and students (of materials and material culture) to understand the properties of fibrous proteins. The author presents relevant information to assist in developing new approaches to care, conservation and research of objects and understanding conservation treatment interactions. Subject areas include: the link between heritage objects and natural history specimens; the different collagenous tissues used in heritage artefacts including the skin structure of several different specimens; amino acids; the numerous agents of protein deterioration; the effects of water in fibrous protein materials; collagen structure and the deterioration of collagen; tanning processes; striated muscle and elastin in fluid-preserved natural history specimens.