• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2014

Silk has always been one of the most favored textile materials. Fully degummed silk fiber (i.e., silk fibers without sericin) shows better luster than raw silk fiber (with sericin); it is also softer. On the other hand, raw silk fiber feels cooler because of the presence of sericin, making it useful as a textile for the summer season. Recently, partially degummed silk has attracted researchers' attention because it provides better luster, feel, and dyeing properties. However, the partial degumming of silk is very difficult because it results in inhomogeneously degummed fiber. In the present study, silk yarns were degummed with surfactant aqueous solutions and the effects of each surfactant on the degumming ratio, crystallinity, and homogeneity of the degummed silk yarn were examined. The degumming ratio and crystallinity index of silk yarn varied depending on the type of surfactant. On the whole, anionic surfactants resulted in higher degumming ratios and better homogeneity than nonionic surfactants.

• 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.36 no.2
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• pp.152-156
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• 1994

The sericin fixation of raw silk by formalin and glutaraldehyde mixed solutions was done and the effect of sericin fixtion by various conditions on degumming ratio, whiteness and physical properties was investigated and discusse. The obtained results were summarized as follows ; The sericin fixation by 1% formalin solution and upward, regardlles the concentration of glutaraldehyde solution, improved the whitenes of raw silk to 96% level of non fixed raw silk. The decrease of whiteness by degumming was prevented effectively by treatment of formalin and glutaraldehyde mixed solutions. The complete sericin fixation was obtained by the treatment of mixed solution including above 0.5% formalin solution. The proper treatment of sericin fixation can make increase the values of tenacity and elongation of silk.

• 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.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2001

Silk sericin protein was extracted by treatment with enzyme or NaOH solution from raw silk and culled-cocoon shell. The extracted sericin was characterized and examined the functional properties as well as subjective properties for its use as a soap and a body cleaner. The optimum extraction conditions on specimen are NaOH (0.02 wt.%) or enzyme, Flavourzyme 3% under N2 gas. Molecular weights of sericin was decreased by treatment with enzyme, Actinase, from 10,000-30,000 to 2,700-4,200. Sericin showed important bioactive properties, for instance, lowering effect on blood glucose and alcohol. Subjective test of sericin soap and body cleaner showed superior in washability, foamability, and skin hydration, etc., to commercial soap and body cleaner. Therefore, it is thought that silk sericin can be expected as the source of bioactive and skin-compatible materials.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.44-53
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• 2019

Sericin has been removed in textile industry to improve the luster and hand of silk textile. Therefore, the sericin was considered as useless material. However, recently sericin has attracted researcher's attention since unique properties of sericin including high water retention, UV protection, and wound healing effect were reported. In spite of the useful properties of sericin as biomedical and cosmetic materials, its poor mechanical properties have restricted its industrial use in biomedical and cosmetic fields. To improve the mechanical properties, various sericins were prepared by different conditions, and the effects of the preparation condition on the structure and properties of sericin were examined. In this review paper, research trend in the structure and properties of sericin prepared with different conditions were intensively introduced.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 2002

The attaching treatment of sericin onto polyester fiber was attempted to improve its sanitary properties. Generally, sericin, a gummy material covering the outer layer of silk filament, is subjected to be removed during degumming process of silk textile process. For this study, sericin particle dissolved within the degumming waste water could be collected by sedimentation of polyaluminium chloride. It was revealed that sericin particle were attached onto the surface of polyester fiber evenly by treatment of glutaraldehyde, a crosslinking agent. A frictional static charge of the treated polyester fabric could be improved, while its hygroscopic property was little changed.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.36-42
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• 2018

Recently, silk sericin has attracted attention because of its unique properties as a biomaterial, including its UV resistance, moisturizing effect on skin, and wound-healing effect. Therefore, the preparation of sericin in various forms such as gel, film, fiber, and sponge is studied for cosmetic and biomedical applications, and the effect of the preparation conditions on the structure and properties of sericin forms is examined to maximize its performance. In this study, silk sericin films were prepared under different preparation conditions and heat-treated at high temperatures ($100-250^{\circ}C$) to examine the effect of heat treatment on the film structure. The order of the crystallinity index of the untreated sericin film is as follows: F25 (sericin film cast from formic acid) > WE25 (ethanol treated sericin film cast from water at $250^{\circ}C$) > W25 (sericin film cast from water at $250^{\circ}C$) > W100 (sericin film cast from water at $100^{\circ}C$). As the heat-treatment temperature was increased, the color of the sericin films changed gradually from colorless to yellow, brown, and black depending on the temperature. The crystallinity of the sericin film changed after the heat treatment, depending on the preparation condition. Whereas a sericin film cast from formic acid (F25) started to lose its crystallinity at $200^{\circ}C$, thus undergoing the highest loss of crystallinity among the sericin films studied, the rest (W25, WE25, and W100) showed a decrease in crystallinity at $250^{\circ}C$, owing to the disruption of the ${\beta}$-sheet crystallites due to heat.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.115-122
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• 2011

The effect of dietary feeding of silk fibroin/sericinmixtureson the antioxidative status and glucose metabolism in high fat-fed mice was investigated. The mice weregiven experimental diets for 6 weeks: normal control (NC),high fat (HF) andhigh fat supplemented with F100 (pure fibroin, HF-F100), F81 (81:19 fibroin-sericin, w/w, HF-F81) or F50 (50:50 fibroin-sericin, w/w, HF-F50). The silk protein-fed mice showed decreased lipid peroxidation, enhancedantioxidant enzymesactivities and lower blood glucose level relative to HF group. The HF-F50 animals exhibited significantly lower insulin level, higher glycogen concentration, enhanced hepatic glucokinaseactivity and reduced glucose-6-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxynaseactivities than the HF ones. The $in$ $vivo$ antioxidant activity and hypoglycemic action tended to increase with increased amount of sericin and decreased fibroin content in the diet. These findings demonstrate that silk protein, particularly sericin, may be beneficial in suppressing high fat diet-induced hyperglycemiaand oxidative stress.