Down is the fluff that grows on the abdomen of geese and ducks, and is called feathers in flakes. Usually we refer to down as goose down, duck down, goose and duck mixed down.
Different types of down have different smells. Goose is a herbivore and does not eat fishy, so goose down has almost no peculiar smell. Ducks like to eat insects and fish in the water, so duck down generally has a fishy smell (the industry personnel call it “duck body odor”).
Breeding method
Duck farming is usually divided into free-range and captivity. The south is rich in water resources, and ducks are mostly raised in rivers and lakes. There are many inland areas in the north, mainly in captivity in dry land. The difference in breeding methods between the south and the north leads to a difference in the smell of down. Free-range geese and ducks that respect the natural life rules of animals, freely forage, swim, and bask in the sun have large down, light smell and high fluffiness; on the contrary, the down quality of geese and ducks raised in dry greenhouses is slightly worse and the smell is strong.
The free-range ducks in river are mostly bred for more than 60 days. Sufficient breeding time makes the ducks highly mature, with large feathers and high fluffiness. In the south, you will often see flocks of big white ducks swimming and playing in rivers and rivers. The white ducks that often “bath” have white and shiny coats and light fishy smell.
Ducks bred in captivity on dry land were bred for less than 40 days, and their feathers were slaughtered before they became full. Therefore, the feathers are creamy yellow in color, with many different-colored hairs and poor fluffiness. Due to being on dry land for a long time, there are more impurities in the feathers, and the fishy smell is strong.
Processing technology
Breeding environment is a secondary reason that affects the smell of down, and the main reason is the processing technology of down after collection.
Qualified washed down must undergo strict washing treatment. Down raw materials are washed with detergent and disinfectant in clean water at a certain temperature, repeatedly washed, rinsed, dehydrated, and then dried and sterilized by high-temperature steam at 120°C for more than 30 minutes. , can remove dust, feces, blood stains and oil stains attached to raw materials, and achieve the purpose of disinfection and sterilization to remove peculiar smell. However, if the manufacturer simplifies the washing process in pursuit of low cost, shortens the washing time, does not use clean water sources, uses inferior detergents and disinfectants, or does not control the process parameters in place, it will affect the effect of disinfection and sterilization to remove odors, resulting in down The smell is strong.
The enterprise did not implement closed aseptic operation in all links of production, storage and transportation, the washed down and unwashed down were not stored separately, the equipment was not strictly cleaned and disinfected according to the regulations, the warehouse was humid and the ventilation conditions were not good, etc. The reason will cause the washed down to produce peculiar smell.
Qualified washed down and its products have no peculiar smell. When consumers buy down products, they can put the product in a smell-free environment and smell the smell within 5cm from the nose. There is an obvious and annoying smell, which indicates that the processing technology is not good. close. In addition, there are also consumers who have no peculiar smell when purchasing down products, but produce peculiar smell after use. This is mostly due to the “return smell” caused by improper washing and storage. For example, the use of strong alkaline detergent during washing damages the surface of down. Fat protection layer, such down is very easy to breed bacteria and produce odor; or the storage environment is relatively humid, then dry down is easy to absorb water and breed bacteria and produce odor.
Don’t worry if you encounter the smell of the down product, just dry it in a dry and ventilated place under the sun (be careful not to expose it to the sun for a long time), or evenly spray lemonade on the down product and then dry it fully to reduce or remove the odor .
Post time: May-03-2023