calf parchment handmade... using a technology based on ancient recipes

Ingredients

calf parchment, collagen fibres, gelatine layers

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The samples were prepared as mock-ups from calf parchment handmade in Bucharest using traditional technology based on ancient recipes (p. 3). For the study, these were subjected to an accelerated dry-heat ageing protocol: 'The mock-ups were subjected to dry-heat ageing at increasing temperatures: 50, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, and 200 °C inside a VENTI-Line oven' (p. 3). Monitoring occurred every 2 hours; for example, 'After ageing for 8 h at 200 °C we did not observe any difference in the FTIR-ATR spectrum compared to the sample exposed for 6 h at 200 °C' (p. 3). This process mimics long-term deterioration effects.

Evidence

"Seven parchment mock-ups of (1 × 3) cm2 were cut from a sheet of calf parchment handmade at the Advanced Research for Cultural Heritage Laboratory (ARCH Lab) of the National Research & Development Institute for Textiles and Leather in Bucharest (INCDTP) using a technology based on ancient recipes"

Remarks

The research focuses on the molecular organization of collagen within parchment under low humidity (10% RH) (p. 1). Collagen type I is the main constituent, structured as a triple helix (p. 2). Thermal deterioration results in: (i) native triple helix conversion to intermediate conformations at T ≤ 100 °C; (ii) decay into a denatured random coil state at 120 °C; and (iii) hydrolytic cleavage into gelatine-type structures at T ≥ 150 °C, with full gelatinization at 180 °C (p. 4). Raman analysis identified spectral biomarkers for gelatinization, specifically 'significant changes... in the ν(C–C) region associated with proline and hydroxyproline residues' (p. 1). FTIR-ATR results showed 'progressive depletion of the bands at 1692 cm−1 and 1656 cm−1' as temperature increased, indicating shifts in protein secondary structure (p. 4).