Researchers transform guinea pig hair into protein flour for animal feed

A group of researchers from the National University of the Central Region of Peru (UNCP) transforms guinea pig hair, considered a worthless waste, into a protein flour with high nutritional potential for animal feed. Through a hydrothermal process, the scientists obtained a product with up to 84% protein and a digestibility close to 72%, making it a sustainable alternative to traditional inputs such as fishmeal. The finding is part of the study "Chemical composition, amino acid profile, and digestibility of guinea pig hair flour with different pressure, time, and temperature," developed by students Nicole Quiñonez Arévalo, Lizbeth Veliz Apolinario, and Fernando Rivera Mercado, with the guidance of Professor Doris Chirinos Peinado, members of the Research Group on Food Safety and Nutrition at the Faculty of Animal Science. The project won second place in the poster category of the III National Congress of Research Seedlings (CONASEIN 2025). According to Quiñonez, the process ...