Damage in woolen garments is due to enzyme

Damage in woolen garments is due to the enzyme Keratinase.
When loss in tensile strength is compared, it is found that keratinase causes higher loss in strength than papain. This is attributed to the fact that keratinase ruptures the disulphide linkages in wool, thereby causing higher loss in tensile strength.
If exposed to natural protein fibres such as wool or silk can cause irreversible damage, leading to loss of fabric strength, shape and poor colour fastness.