Extraction and Characterization of Sericin from Cocoon of Four Different Silkworm Races Bombyx Mori L.

Abstract

The removal and use of sericin could have a strong economic, social, and environmental impact, particularly in countries where sericulture is practiced, especially in Bangladesh. Because in our country Bangladesh, sericin is a waste material in the sericulture industry. Several techniques have been adopted for sericin extraction, but maintaining its chemical properties after extraction and environment-friendly extraction methods are still a major challenge. Sericin is fully or partially hydrolyzed and solubilized during the degumming of the cocoon. Consequently, it is important to create sericin extraction procedures that require less energy, don't release any chemicals, and don't harm the environment. Numerous research has been done to extract sericin but the differences in sericin content and chemical properties of Bivoltine and Multivoltine silkworm cocoon have not been studied yet. In this work, sericin was extracted from the silkworm cocoon of four different silkworm races at two different temperatures and durations. Significant differences were observed in yield% with different silkworm races and different treatments. Extracted sericin was characterized through SDS PAGE, FTIR & UV spectroscopy, and TGA.