Preparation and characterization of sericin powder extracted with deep sea water

In this study, we developed an effective technology for the extraction of sericin from silk cocoons by deep sea water (DSW). We focused on extraction of sericin in the absence of chemical additives to obtain a safe, effective, inexpensive sericin powder. Sericin was extracted using a simple high-temperature process involving heating, condensation with Molus alba, filtering with cotton cloth, cold storage, and lyophilization. The results showed that the yield of sericin (26%) extracted by DSW was approximately 2% higher than that obtained using a chemical buffer (0.2 M Na₂CO₃, 24%). The marine mineral sericin M. alba (MSM) showed a size distribution of 15-250 kDa, with major peaks at 75-250 kDa with a galactose chain. Additionally, this MSM product had high antioxidant, whitening, and antibiosis effects and could be safely stored for a long time. Thus, our findings supported the use of a DSW extraction method, which was ecofriendly and yielded a proteinous, biodegradable biopolymer, for preparation of sericin.