| Abstract: | Degumming of silk involves the cleavage of peptide bonds of sericin, either by hydrolytic or enzymatic methods, and the subsequent removal of sericin from the silk fibroin. Hydrolysis of sericin can be carried out under neutral, alkaline or acidic conditions to give four fractions, each having different properties. Boiling-off in alkaline soap solution is the most popular degumming method. There are many qualitative methods of assessing the extent of degumming; however, quantitative methods have yet to be developed. Degumming can be carried out on yarn or fabric, in manually or mechanically operated machines. Mechanisms of degumming remain to be investigated. |
