Thioglycolate, enzyme activation

The keratin structure is destroyed through the use of proteolytic enzymes such as pronase and proteinase K. They are often used with chemical agents such as urea and thioglycolic to cleave the disulfide bonds and increase the dissolution rate of enzyme activity. The extracting procedures, using enzymatic digestion, last about 4-6 h and must be conducted at constant temperature and pH for providing maximum enzyme activity [155],... 

---