Production and properties of electrosprayed sericin nanopowder

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Sericin, a protein from Bombyx mori cocoons, offers antibacterial, antioxidant, and UV-absorbing properties.
• Sericin powder has potential applications in food, cosmetics, and drug delivery.
• Existing powder production methods like spray drying yield larger particles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for producing submicron sericin nanoparticles.
• To characterize the properties of electrosprayed sericin nanopowder.
• To compare electrospraying with other sericin powder production techniques.

Main Methods:

• Sericin sponge was extracted from Bombyx mori cocoons using high-temperature, high-pressure processing.
• Sericin solution was prepared by dissolving the sponge in dimethyl sulfoxide.
• Electrospraying was employed to generate sericin nanopowder.

Main Results:

• Electrospraying successfully produced sericin nanopowder with an average particle size of 25 nm.
• The resulting nanopowder consists of small crystallites.
• The electrosprayed sericin nanopowder demonstrated high moisture absorbance.

Conclusions:

• Electrospraying is an effective technique for producing ultra-fine sericin nanopowder.
• The small particle size and high moisture absorbance of electrosprayed sericin are advantageous for various applications.
• This method significantly improves upon existing techniques for sericin powder production.