• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2023

In this study, the structural characteristics of sericin recovered from wastewater released from the silk textile industry (Plant sericin) were comparatively analyzed with those of sericin extracted from a silkworm cocoon produced in a laboratory (Lab sericin). To prepare Plant sericin, ethanol was added to wastewater (i.e., a sericin aqueous solution) after the degumming process to remove nonprotein materials, affording a sericin precipitate. To prepare Lab sericin, nonprotein materials were removed from a silkworm cocoon and sericin was subsequently extracted from the cocoon. Lab sericin and Plant sericin exhibited similar solution viscosities, gel strengths, and crystallinity indices, indicative of the similar molecular weights (MWs) of the two sericin samples. In the case of sericin powder, Plant sericin was more crystalline than Lab sericin due to its treatment with ethanol. The findings of this study revealed that sericin recovered from industrial wastewater can be used equally as its MW is similar to that of sericin obtained through laboratory-scale extraction.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.171-174
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• 2007

Sericin beads were prepared from ethanol-precipitated sericin. The addition of ethanol into hot-water extracted sericin solution induced precipitation of sericin and thereby some sericin could be fractionated. The ethanol-precipitated sericin (EpSS) had narrower molecular weight distribution than original sericin. The EpSS had mainly random coil structure with small portion of ${\beta}-sheet$ structure. With the EpSS, spherical beads could be prepared at lower concentration than with original sericin due to higher viscosity. The EpSS beads had better compressive strength than the original sericin beads and had rubber-like property. Our results suggest that EpSS is more compatible in the polymeric field, since it has better mechanical strength than original sericin.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.180-184
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• 2013

Recently, silk sericin has attracted the attention of researchers owing to its useful properties as a biomaterial including 1) good wound healing and cell activities, 2) fast gelation character, and 3) high water retention property. In the present study, silk sericin was prepared using different extraction times in hot water and the effect of extraction time on the rheological properties of sericin solutions and gels was examined. It was found that the production yield of sericin increased with extraction time. The shear viscosity of sericin solutions and gels decreased with increasing extraction time due to a decrease in sericin molecular weight. When the sericin solution transformed to a gel, the viscosity increased and the shear thinning behavior was more evident. In addition, the shear stress measurements indicated that the slip between the sericin samples and the measuring plate of the rheometer was increased by the gelation of sericin. The compression strength of sericin gel could be increased remarkably (by more than 100 fold) by preparation using the freezing and thawing method.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 1998

For the application of silk sericin, silk sericin powders were prepared by various spray dry conditions and the characteristics of silk sericin/polyurethane mixed films were investigated. When the sericin was dried from the solution at higher inlet and outlet temperature, larger sizes of the powder particles were obtained. It was also found that inlet and outlet temperatures were important factors affecting the shape and surface characteristics of sericin power particle. The many holes and empty spaces were observed at the surface and cross section of sericin/PU mixed film. With the increase of the amount of sericin powder in the mixed films, the size and number of holes and empty spaces were increased. The thickness of sericin/PU mixed film was increased with the content of sericin powder. As the portion of sericin powder increase, the tenacity is decreased while the elongation slightly increased.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.501-519
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• 2003

Silk Sericin(SS) is a natural protein extracted from cocoon of bombix mori and shows moisturizing effect to the skin due to a number of hydroxyl groups in the structure. But its application to cosmetics is limited due to its poor solubility in water. In order to solve this drawback and expand its application to cosmetics, polyethyleneglycol(PEG) was conjugated with sericin by reacting activated polyethyleneglycol(ActPEG). Reaction site of sericin is tyrosine residue, which was determined by using $^1$H-NMR. Random coil structure of sericin was transformed to beta-sheet structure by conjugating polyethyleneglycol. It was confirmed that melting point of sericin-PEG conjugate was lowered compared to that of each sericin and PEG due to the interaction between sericin and PEG in crystalline structure. Self-assembled sericin-PEG nanoparticle was obtained by dialyzing with alcohol solution of sericin-PEG conjugate against water. The particle is spherical and has 200-400nm of size. The moisturizing ability of sericin-PEG nanoparticle was much higher than that of sericin itself. Incorporation of vitamin A into sericin-PEG nanoparticle was carried out by diafiltration method. The content of incorporated Vitamin A in sericin-PEG nanoparticle was 8.9 wt％. Releasing behaviour of vitamin A incorporated into nanoparticle was tested in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4 at 37$^{\circ}C$. and half-life of Vitamin A release was 43hrs. Sericin-PEG nanoparticle exhibited higher moisturing effect than sericin itself and distilled water, respectively. No toxicity and irritation were observed in animal tests. It can be expected that the self-assembled sericin-PEG nanoparticle can be developed for cosmetics.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.20
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• pp.55-63
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• 2002

This experiment was to know properties of Sericin Jam that development, growth of silkgland, content of sericin and composition of amino acid in hemolymph. The characters of Sericin Jam can he seen form this experiment. Hatching ratio was 85% in Sericin Jam and 95% in Jam 120. Especially hatching period of Sericin Jam was longer than Jam 120 and also hatching of Sericin Jam was ununiform. The larval duration of Sericin Jam was 20 days and 23 hours, and Jaw 120 was 21 days and 22 hours. In Sericin Jam, middle silkgland contain a great p arts in silkgalod and posterior silkgand is short and no curves. The period of mounting to emergence was 12 days in Sericin Jam. The period of pupa was 7day. It is property of Sericin Jam that the period is short. Cocoon was very thin and light in Sericin Jam. Weight of cocoon shell of Sericin Jam is 2.7cg. The sericin protein quantity was 100% in cocoon shell of Sericin Jam, about 28% in cocoon shell of Jam 120, however the sericin ratio per Sericin Jam cocoon was 34.6% compare to cocoon shell of Jaw 120 in sericin protein quantity. The amino acids in hemolymph of Sericin Jaw was much hidtidine, lysine, glut amic acid. And the amount of almost amino acids were increased depends upon development at t he 5th instar.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.144-148
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• 2016

Recently, silk sericin has been studied extensively for biomedical and cosmetic applications because of its unique properties, including UV resistance and wound healing ability. For use in applications, sericin is fabricated in various forms including films and gels. However, the mechanical properties of sericin are too weak. In this basic study on improving the mechanical properties of sericin, a silk sericin aqueous solution was separated into two layers by centrifugation. The solution viscosity, molecular conformation, and mechanical properties of each separation layer of the sericin were examined. Sericin from the lower layer had a higher solution viscosity and film mechanical properties (strength and strain) than that from the upper layer, implying that sericin from the lower layer had a higher molecular weight than that from the upper layer. The molecular conformation of the sericin films varied depending on the casting solvent. In aqueous solution, the sericin film from the lower layer showed a ${\beta}$-sheet conformation, whereas that from the upper layer displayed a random coil conformation. All the sericin films showed a highly ${\beta}$-sheet-crystallized state when cast in formic acid, regardless of the separation layer.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.104-108
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• 2000

To hydrolyze insolule sericin the enzyme hydrolysis was used, and then obtained the results as given belows. When insoluble sericin was hydrolyzed by enzyme treatment, the solubility was best at pH 7, 60$\^{C}$ and was slightly increased both above 2 hours treatment and above 10% of enzyme concentration. As the results of electrophoresis, the distribution of molecular weight of sericin powder obtained by enzyme hydrolysis was very weak and showed in the wide range having no distinguishable band. Average degree of polymerzations (A.D.P.) of sericin hydrolyzed by enzyme were about 4.1∼6.3, average molecular weight were about 470∼730. The whiteness of the sericin powder obtained by enzyme hydrolysis was high and increased slightly with higher treatment concentration of enzyme. As the results of amino acid analysis, the amino acid analysis, the amino acid composition of the sericin powder from the enzyme treatment were similar to which located at near 230$\^{C}$ and 320$\^{C}$. The peak of near 230$\^{C}$ could not been found in the sericin powder obtained by enzyme hydrolysis.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.67-72
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• 2009

To investigate the strong and effective sericin fixing agents and conditions, raw silk fibers were treated with the mixtures of urea-formalin, thiourea-formalin and melamine-formalin as sericin fixing agents, respectively. And the treated raw silk fibers were degummed by the degumming liquors of alkaline detergent and sodium carbonate to confirm the hardness of sericin fixation. The weight of raw silk fibers was decreased in the process of sericin fixation treating at 80$^{\circ}C$ for 60min. The effective sericin fixation was obtained by treating at $60{\sim}80^{\circ}C$ for 15min with the mixture of melamine and formalin. The mixture of melamine and formalin showed an outstanding ability of sericin fixation because the three amino groups of melamine were able to cross-link the hydroxy amino acids of sericin such as serine with the assistance of formalin.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 1988

In the case of white cocoon, the fluorescence colors are classified as a yellowish fluorescence cocoon(Y.F.C.) and a violet fluorescence cocoon(V.F.C.) by exposing to ultra-violet ray. Accordingly, experiments were carried out to investigate the difference of sericin behaviors between Y.F.C. and V.F.C. by measuring the sericin solubility, surface tension and viscosity of the sericin solution. Also, the reelability of two different type of cocoons was investigated in the silk reeling process. The results were summarized as follows; 1. The sericin solubility of Y.F.C. shell is higher than that of V.F.C. shell with the dissolution temperature and time. It is shown that the sericin solubility curves of Y.F.c. and V.F.C. are similar in shape, but the difference of sericin solubility between Y.F.C. and V.F.C. is more significant at higher bath temperature. 2. The initial sericin dissolution curves of Y.F.C. and V.F.C. cocoon shell can be divided by four parts within the range of dissolving time from 5 minutes to 60 minutes. The initial dissolution velocity of Y.F.C. shell is faster than that of V.F.C. but the velocity difference is negligible after 30 minutes of dissolving time. 3. The gelation of V.F.C. sericin solution is faster than that of Y.F.C. at early stage(in the range of 15 minutes to 60 minutes). 4. In the silk reeling process, the reelability of Y.F.C. is better than that of V.F.C. with about 11%. This is mainly due to the higher sericin solubility in Y.F.C. followed by the fast dissolution velocity.