Sericin Powder

About This Product

Sericin is the globular protein that coats and glues silk fibroin filaments together in the cocoon of Bombyx mori. It carries CAS numbers 60650-88-6 and 60650-89-7 and the INCI name Sericin, and is supplied as a fine powder or solution. It is chemically quite different from fibroin, and the two should not be treated as interchangeable silk proteins. Fibroin is dominated by the small, non-polar amino acids glycine and alanine arranged in a highly ordered crystalline structure, which is what makes silk fibre strong and insoluble. Sericin is amorphous and rich in serine, aspartic acid and threonine, all of which carry polar hydroxyl or carboxyl side groups, so it is hydrophilic, water-soluble in hot water and an effective moisture binder. Because it must be removed to produce usable silk yarn, sericin has historically been discharged as a waste stream in degumming effluent, and recovering it is both a valorisation of that waste and a reduction in the organic load sent to treatment. In cosmetics it is used for moisturisation and film formation, and it has recognised affinity for skin and hair keratin. It is used in skin care and moisturisers, hair conditioning, cleansers and masks, and in textile and biomaterial applications. Bio Green Chem supplies sericin powder to specification on protein content, molecular weight, appearance, pH, solubility, ash and microbiology.