<![CDATA[This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pineapple waste extract as a natural bating agent in the tanning process and its impact on the physicochemical properties of rabbit leather. Pineapple waste, containing the proteolytic enzyme bromelain, was applied at different concentrations (0.50%, 0.75%, 1.00%, 1.25%, and 1.50%) and compared with a commercial bating agent. The evaluation included physical properties (tensile strength, seam strength, and elongation) and chemical properties (moisture content and protein content). The results showed that increasing extract concentration led to a decrease in tensile strength but an increase in elongation, indicating changes in collagen fiber structure due to enzymatic activity. The highest tensile strength was observed at 0.50% extract (165.58 MPa), meeting the standard requirement, although the leather exhibited lower flexibility. All treatments met the seam strength standard, with pineapple extract treatments showing better performance than the commercial agent. Moisture content remained constant across treatments, indicating no significant effect of the bating process. Conversely, protein content decreased with increasing extract concentration, confirming the effectiveness of bromelain in degrading non-collagenous proteins. However, excessive protein reduction at higher concentrations (1.25%–1.50%) indicated over-bating, which negatively affected mechanical properties. Overall, the use of pineapple waste extract at concentrations of 0.75% and 1.00% provided the best balance between protein removal and preservation of collagen structure, resulting in optimal physicochemical properties of rabbit leather. Therefore, pineapple waste extract has strong potential as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional bating agents in leather processing.]]>
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