Natural keratin based fibres including wool, cashmere, mohair, Angora, and camelid fibres make up over 3% of the World's fibre production. The natural fibre industry is very important to the UK economy and in particular the UK is well known for the production of high-quality speciality fibre products manufactured mainly from cashmere. Cashmere (world production-5200 tons) is the fine under hair of goats produced in the extreme climates of Northern China, Afghanistan and Iran. The outer coat comprises long, coarse medullated guard hairs having no commercial value but the inner coat is made up of non-medullated fine fractions. There is no obvious distinct breed of cashmere goat and therefore various fibre types are produced commercially, as classified according to average fibre diameter, presence of guard hair and colour. There are two types of fibre-producing follicles within the skin, distinguished by their time in the foetal skin development and their associated accessory structures. Primary hair follicles produce long and coarse fibres (guard hair), and secondary hair follicles produce the short and fine fibres. In Cashmere producing countries the fibre is harvested by combing in the early months when the cashmere is usually shed. In modern cashmere production (USA, Australia, New Zealand), goats are sheared once a year in January/February. Fibre types are mixed and de-haired to separate the cashmere. In their natural conditions, goat fibres are often white but they can also be brown, black or grey. Med-ullation is responsible for the lightness and good insulation of guard hairs. Medullary vacuoles or medulla are the cell cavities present in the central core of mammal's hair. They are rarely missing except in very fine hair (cashmere).
展开▼
