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Freeze branding (sometimes called CryoBranding and the resulting brands, trichoglyphs) is a technique involving a
Freeze branding (sometimes called CryoBranding and the resulting brands, trichoglyphs) is a technique involving a cryogenic
In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures.
The 13th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington DC in 1971) endorsed a universal definition of “cryogenics” and “cr ...
coolant instead of heat to produce permanent marks on a variety of animals
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
.
The coolant
A coolant is a substance, typically liquid, that is used to reduce or regulate the temperature of a system. An ideal coolant has high thermal capacity, low viscosity, is low-cost, non-toxic, chemically inert and neither causes nor promotes corros ...
is used to lower the temperature of a branding iron
A branding iron is used for branding, pressing a heated metal shape against an object or livestock with the intention of leaving an identifying mark.
History
The history of branding is very much tied to the history of using animals as a commodi ...
such that its application to shaved skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
will permanently alter hair follicle
The hair follicle is an organ found in mammalian skin. It resides in the dermal layer of the skin and is made up of 20 different cell types, each with distinct functions. The hair follicle regulates hair growth via a complex interaction betwe ...
s. The intense cold destroys the pigmentation apparatus in the animal's hair follicles, leaving all subsequent hair growth without color. This creates a high-contrast, permanent mark in the shape of the branding iron's head. A longer application of the cold iron can also permanently remove hair, and is used on white or pale animals. In these cases the loss of hair leaves a patch of hairless skin in the shape of the brand.
The technique is most commonly used as an identification mark for ownership
Ownership is the state or fact of legal po