Of the problematic agents in the ecosystem, heavy metals have special importance because they are unabsorbable and have physiologic effects on living beings at low concentrations. This study has investigated the effect of silk worm cocoon on reducing mobility of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) for the first time. To this end, 5% cocoon adsorbent was added to the studied soil, which had been contamina...

AbstractIn the present study , a novel method for the production of silk nano fibers are presented . In this way , a mechanical and easy technique is used instead of toxic and costly chemical methods . Also , the separation of silk nano fibers from the cocoon was carried out by mechanical homogenizer and probe ultrasonic homogenizer . After the preparation of silk nanofibers , the product was c...

The mango leaf webber, Orthaga exvinacea makes silken webs and galleries during its larval stage. Silk is produced from the silk gland of this insect. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of proteins from the silk glands of last three larval stages and pre-pupae were conducted. Significant differences were observed among different stages. SDS-PAGE of proteins from anterior, middle and posterio...

The cocoon of the commercial silkworm Bombyx mori is used as a model natural nonwoven composite to formulate a model for structural properties of nonwoven composites. The model is based upon open cell foam structures for the intrinsic undamaged elastic properties using the component materials in the cocoon, combined with the effect of gradual loss of connectivity in the interfiber bonding as th...

Silk from Bombyx mori is a protein-based fiber. Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) is one of the most important candidates for biomedical materials based on biocompatibility, biodegradation, processability and excellent mechanical properties. The present study aims at the preparation of silk fibroin for possible applications in tissue engineering. Pure silk fibroin protein was extracted from Bombyx ...

Silk consists of two types of proteins, silk fibroin and sericin. Sericin contributes about 20-30 per cent of total cocoon weight. It is characterized by its high content of serine and 18 amino acids, including essential amino acids. There are different methods of isolation of sericin from silk thread. Solubility, molecular weight, and gelling properties of sericin depend on the method of isola...

Sonic properties of spider silks are measured independent of the web using laser vibrometry and ballistic impact providing insights into Nature's design of functionalized high-performance materials. Through comparison to cocoon silk and other industrial fibers, we find that major ampullate silk has the largest wavespeed range of any known material.

β-Sheet crystals play an important role in determining the stiffness, strength, and optical properties of silk and in the exhibition of silk-type-specific functions. It is important to elucidate the structural changes that occur during the stretching of silk fibres to understand the functions of different types of fibres. Herein, we elucidate the initial crystallisation behaviour of silk molecu...

In the past few years a number of reviews, books and journal articles featuring silks have been published. Silks are produced by over 41,000 species of spiders (class Arachnida) and by many insects (terrestrial and aquatic), particularly in the order Lepidoptera (Foelix, 1996); they are defined as externally spun fibrous material generated from protein secretions. The cocoon silk from the domes...

Spirulina is blue-green micro algae. It contains 18 amino acids and vital vitamins like biotin, tocopherol, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, pyrodozoic acid, beta-carotene and vitamin B12 etc. These nutrients which are very easy to digest protein (biliprotein), carbohydrates (mucopolysaccharides, rhamnose and glycogen), 50 different minerals and trace minerals, beta-carotene, chlorophy...