Silk Sericin and its Food application: A Review

This review deals with the structural and functional properties of sericin and its application in the food industry to enhance the food preservation. Sericin is a globular protein that contains silk fibre from the bombyx mori silkworm case. It has 18 amino acids. The proteins had been utilized in space travel food. Sericin is hydrophilic in nature and shows a physiological impact on the gastrointestinal system. Sericin contains different microbiology properties which allow us to apply it to different fields. Sericin can be attributed to three structures such as sericin A, sericin B, and sericin C. Comparison of extraction methods, extraction with steam using autoclave method is more sustainable. Sericin joins with properties such a gelling property, sol-gel change, isoelectric pH, dissolvability of sericin, and sun–nuclear weight. Sericin inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as S.aureus as gram-positive microorganisms and E.coli as gram-negative microorganisms. It provides a major antioxidant property by inhibiting tyrosinase enzymes. Sericin is an intriguing contender to impede the browning impact in food items without the expansion of manufactured cell antioxidant compounds. Food products prepared with sericin helps in diabetics and keeping up with the diet. The utilization of edible coating or films using sericin not only imparts antibrowning, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties but also improves the nutritional properties of the food product. Though the production rate of sericin is high in India, a very few attempts have been made to utilize sericin in food applications. Hence utilizing sericin in food applications provide several advantages and improves its scope in food industry.