Study on protein profiles in commercial examination glove production

Extractable protein (ep),antigenic protein (ap) and allergenic protein (agp) contents of examination gloves sampled at different stages of commercial examination glove production over a 3 months production period were determined. the ep,ap and agp contents of gloves at any stage of production generally increased with increasing production time. gloves collected immediately after the pre-leachingprocess showed higher ep content compared to unleached gloves. gloves taken after post-curing at 140°c for about 30 minutes,gave the highest ep,ap and agp contents. the ep,ap and agp contents of gloves taken after the post-leaching and the subsequent stages were considerably lower compared to gloves taken before the post-leaching stage. there is a tendency for the agp content of the final products to be higher than those samples taken after the post-leaching and slurry-dip stages. it is hoped that this study on protein profile of a commercial glove dipping line could provide a guideline on appropriate conditions that needs to be applied at various stages of the glove production process.