Characteristics of Angora rabbit fiber using optical fiber diameter analyzer.

An experiment was conducted to describe the characteristics of Angora rabbit fiber using optical fiber diameter analyzer (OFDA). A total of 349 fleece samples were collected from 60 French Angora rabbits. Recorded measurements of OFDA were as follows: mean fiber diameter, CV of fiber diameter, comfort factor, spinning fineness, mean fiber curvature, SD of fiber curvature, mean opacity of fibers, percentage of medullated fibers, mean fiber diameter along the length, and SD of fiber diameter along the length. Comfort factor is the percentage of fibers less than or equal to 30 microns. The main effects included in the mixed model were fixed effects of group, harvest season, and age and a random effect of animal. Correlations among total fleece weight, compression, and OFDA measurements were calculated. Mean fiber diameter was lower than the fiber diameter along the length. Mean percentage of medullated fibers was very low and ranged from 0.1 to 7.3%. The mean comfort factor was 97.5% and ranged from 93.3 to 99.8%. The mean fiber curvature was 40.1 degrees/mm. The major changes in Angora fleece characteristics from 8 to 105 wk of age were an increase in fiber diameter, CV of fiber diameter, mean fiber diameter along the length and curvature, and a decrease in compression and comfort factor. The effect of harvest season was significant on some fiber characteristics. Mean fiber diameter and the mean fiber diameter along the length had a positive correlation with total fleece weight. The OFDA methodology is a method to evaluate fiber diameter, CV of fiber diameter, and bristle content through measuring of the comfort factor. However, OFDA is not adapted for measuring opacity or size of the medulla, or both, in Angora wool and needs a new definition or a special calibration. The spinning fineness should be redefined and adapted for Angora rabbits.