Dalian, Liaoning: A small silkworm cocoon “butterfly” transformed into a large industrial chain
After hydrolysis, neutralization, filtration, concentration, drying and other production processes, the small silkworm cocoons are transformed into a water-soluble protein rich in amino acids – tussah silk peptide, which can be widely used in health foods, cosmetics, etc. field. Under the guidance and support of the Dalian Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, the Dalian Institute of Biotechnology of the Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences formulated the technical specifications for the production of tussah silk fibroin peptide and Dalian local standards were promulgated and implemented.
This standard standardizes the existing technical requirements for the production of tussah silk peptides, which is conducive to the sustainable development of our city’s characteristic tussah industry and the extension of the industrial chain for deep processing and utilization of tussah silk, and provides services for industries such as cosmetics, fine chemicals, and biological materials. It ensures the security of raw materials, and at the same time, it can increase the income of silkworms, increase the efficiency of enterprises, and help more farmers get rid of poverty and become rich.
Recently, reporters followed the staff of the Dalian Municipal Market Supervision Bureau to the Dalian Institute of Biotechnology of the Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, located in the Dalian High-tech Zone, to see on the spot how small silkworm cocoons are “transformed into peptides.”
The human body’s “second skin” urgently needs to be developed and added value
Du Xingfan, an expert in the national sericulture industry technology system and a researcher at the Dalian Institute of Biotechnology of the Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced that tussahs are large foraging insects that grow in the wild in a natural state. The annual output of tussah cocoons in Liaoning Province is 50,000 tons, accounting for 70% of the country’s total. As the main production area in Liaoning Province, Zhuanghe has an annual output of nearly 10,000 tons. Tussah silk is composed of silk fibroin and sericin, about 95% of which is protein. It contains 18 kinds of amino acids that are very similar to human amino acids. It has good compatibility and affinity with human skin. It is known as the human body’s “second skin” ” the reputation.
According to reports, except for a few used for reeling and weaving silk, most of the tussah cocoons are cut to obtain pupae and eaten, turning the silk into short fibers. They are mostly used as silk spinning materials and processed into silk quilts, etc., and their active ingredients and value has not been truly exploited. Tussah silk peptide is an active polypeptide prepared by hydrolyzing tussah silk fibroin protein. It has the functions of antibacterial, anti-ultraviolet, nutritional and moisturizing, and improving immunity. It can be used in functional foods, cosmetics and bio New materialsand other fields. Therefore, it is feasible to use modern biotechnology and utilize abundant silk resources to develop high value-added tussah silk peptide products.
Dalian introduces local standards to “strip out cocoons” and has technical specifications
The Dalian Institute of Biotechnology of the Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences has established the Liaoning Province Tussah Silkworm Resources Deep Processing and Utilization Engineering Technology Research Center, which is equipped with an advanced tussah resource deep processing and utilization pilot laboratory. Since 2011, tussah silkworm resources have been carried out in the laboratory. Research on the high-value utilization of silk, engaged in research on the preparation technology and functional application of tussah silk peptide. Over the years, it has applied for a national invention patent for the preparation method of tussah silk peptide and developed a number of related products.
In June 2020, after the institute received the task of compiling the “Technical Specifications for the Production of Tussah Silk Peptide”, it immediately established a standards writing group. The team members summarized many years of experience in testing and factory-based technology, and analyzed the technical requirements for the production of tussah silk peptide, including the basic requirements of processing enterprises, raw material requirements, production procedures, and quality management. , product requirements, inspection, packaging, storage and transportation, etc. shall be standardized, and experimental data during the production process shall be used as auxiliary test content for formulating standards.
Mi Rui, a member of the team and associate researcher of the institute, demonstrated the tussah silk peptide production process on site in accordance with production standards. First, the tussah cocoons are cut open with a special knife to release the edible tussah pupae. Then the sericin in the tussah silk is hydrolyzed, so that the sericin is moistened and swollen in water and then removed. It is then rinsed multiple times to remove impurities, neutralized, filtered and concentrated through technical means to obtain an aqueous solution of tussah silk peptide. The tussah silk peptide aqueous solution is made into powdered product by spray drying. She told reporters that before production, the heavy metal content and other indicators of the tussah cocoon shells must be inspected, and the raw materials must be properly controlled. The products must also be inspected multiple times during the production process.
The value of tussah silk has soared after deep processing and has broad prospects for comprehensive development and utilization
Tussah silk fibroin peptide can be made into facial masks, skin care products, handmade soaps, artificial skin, Silk bone nails, surgical sutures, etc. The processed tussah silk peptide sells for about 600 yuan per kilogram, which is 5 to 8 times higher than the value of short fiber.
“The formulation and implementation of tussah silk peptide production specifications and standards is a pioneer in the field of tussah silk peptides and fills a gap in Dalian.” Du Xingfan introduced that previously, because there were no corresponding technical specifications for the production of tussah silk peptides, tussah silk peptides were not produced. The situation of peptide factory production is relatively chaotic, and companies have no evidence to prove their production, which has seriously affected the application and industrial development of tussah silk peptides. The test method results in the standard are at the leading level at home and abroad. It will further standardize the technical processes of production companies and improve product quality, which will further expand the application fields of tussah silk and increase economic value. practical significance.
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