Milk fiber or milk wool is a type of Azlon, a regenerated protein fiber based on the

casein Casein ( , from Latin ''caseus'' "cheese") is a family of related phosphoproteins (CSN1S1, αS1, aS2, CSN2, β, K-casein, κ) that are commonly found in mammalian milk, comprising about 80% of the proteins in cow's milk and between 20% and 60% of ...

protein found in

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

. There are several trade names for milk-casein-based fibers, including Lanital,

Fibrolane Fibrolane was the brand name of a regenerated protein fibre produced by Courtaulds Ltd. in Coventry (UK) during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. It was made from the milk protein casein dissolved in alkali and regenerated by spinning the resultin ...

and Aralac.

Invention and history

First produced and patented in Italy in 1935 by Antonio Ferretti and sold under the name Lanital, milk fiber was created under an Italian national self-sufficiency drive and was intended to capitalize on previous successes with

rayon Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose fiber, cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has t ...

. Milk fibers enjoyed a brief period of success in the 1930s and 1940s. The popularity of milk fibers declined rapidly once full-synthetic fibers were developed. Fully synthetic fibers, such as acrylic, were able to significantly undercut milk fiber on price while being more durable. During the 2010s several producers tried to reintroduce milk fibers to commercial production.

Production process

The production process of milk fiber was of some public interest and was documented on film by several contemporary sources. A simplified overview of the process is as follows: # Acid is mixed with milk to extract the casein. # Water is evaporated to form casein crystals. # The casein is hydrated to a thick syrup and extruded through spinnerets. # The resulting fiber is passed through a hardening bath. # The continuous fiber is then cut to the desired length.

References

{{fibers Materials Fibers