VIOSILQ Silk Sericin Peptide:

A Promising Sustainable Biomaterial for Biomedical, Cosmetic, Pharmaceutical, Fabric, and Food Applications

Silk is a natural composite fiber composed mainly of hydrophobic fibroin and hydrophilic sericin, produced by the silkworm Bombyx mori. In the textile industry, the cocoons of B. mori are processed into silk fabric, where the sericin is substantially removed and usually discarded in wastewater. This wastewater pollutes the environment and water sources. However, sericin has been recognized as a potential biomaterial due to its biocompatibility, immunocompatibility, biodegradability, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, and photoprotective properties. Moreover, sericin can produce hydrogels, films, sponges, foams, dressings, particles, fibers, etc., for various biomedical and pharmaceutical applications (e.g., tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, cosmetics). Given the severe environmental pollution caused by the disposal of sericin and its beneficial properties, there has been growing interest in upcycling this biomaterial, which could have a strong and positive economic, social, and environmental impact.

Sericin peptide extracted from pure silkworm cocoons is produced through the latest production process and can be used in various fields including the bioengineering industry and biocosmetics.

VIOSILQ produces higher levels of sericin than the sericin extracted from regular silkworm cocoons, and it is produced through a high-pressure water jet process rather than chemical hydrolysis. This is the same process used to produce powdered milk or food powder.

1. Drug Delivery

Scaffolds, films, hydrogels, fibers, foams, spheres, capsules, and microneedles, among others, can be used for local and systemic drug delivery. Since sericin has an amphiphilic character (polar side chains and hydrophobic domains), it can be used as a vehicle because it easily binds charged therapeutic molecules or hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs.

2. Tissue Engineering

Sericin-based scaffolds can be used as drug delivery systems and as hydrogels, films, sponges, and others for tissue engineering purposes.

3. Food

There is growing concern over the use of plastics in food packaging, as it increases plastic waste in the environment. Sericin, a silk protein that is discarded in large quantities in the sericulture and textile industries during the process of manufacturing silk from silk cocoons, can be explored for application as a component of functional foods and food items in food packaging and other food sectors. Thus, recycling can reduce economic costs and environmental waste. Sericin extracted from silk cocoons has several useful amino acids such as aspartic acid, glycine, and serine. Likewise, sericin has strong hydrophilicity, which gives it effective biological and biocompatibility properties including antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, and antityrosinase properties. Sericin has been proven to be effective in the production of films, coatings, or packaging materials when used in combination with other biomaterials.

4. Cosmetic

Sericin can be used as an additive in high-end cosmetics. The amino acid component of sericin provides excellent moisture absorption and retention to the skin. Sericin effectively inhibits the activity of tyrosine and the formation of melanochrome and provides hair care and repair effects.

The General Action of Raw Silk on the Skin

1. Soluble and soluble in water

Sericin, the main ingredient, is water-soluble and dissolves well in water, which has excellent adsorption to the skin and delivers a large amount of protein contained in sericin to the skin as it is.

2. Excellent hygroscopicity

Silk's hygroscopicity is 1.4 times that of cotton, and silk absorbs more moisture than cotton and releases moisture at a faster rate than cotton.

3. Excellent heat retention

Silk contains a lot of air because it is an aggregate of microfibrils because this air does not conduct heat well. By retaining a lot of air with low thermal conductivity, heat retention is naturally good.

4. No static electricity

It prevents an excessive increase in blood alkalinity when the silk mask of this product is attached to the skin as it does not generate static electricity, and the skin receives less stress.

5. Increase skin cell vitality

Contains essential amino acids: Silk, which is composed of protein, is composed of more than 18 amino acids, which are essential for human skin and provide vitality to human skin cells.

6. Similar to human skin

The sericin and fibroin proteins covering the surface of the thread are composed of amino acids very similar to NMF, the natural moisturizing factor of the human epidermis.

Collagen, which occupies 90% of the dermal component located inside the human epidermis, is a protein that accounts for one-third of the total protein possessed by mammals and contains 16 amino acids, which are very similar to sericin and fibroin.

7. Treats various skin diseases

Through clinical trials, it has been found that the effect of treating skin diseases is excellent as shown below.

8. Increase skin cell vitality and prevent skin aging

-With a large number of collagen components (Anti-aging, Skin reproduction, Elasticity skin), when silk touches the skin, it promotes the vitality of skin cells, inhibits the hardening of blood vessels, and prevents aging. The collagen component contained in it makes skin tissue, provides moisture, and prevents aging. It also prevents wrinkles and sagging skin.

9. UV protection and moisturizing ability

Moisturizing: The silk ingredient that sticks to the skin’s surface maintains the moisture required by the skin, so it makes the skin shiny with excellent moisturizing power.

UV protection: High content of Hydro Amino Acid enzyme inhibits the activity of Tyrosine, which is deeply involved in melanin production and browning, and blocks UV rays, thereby protecting against blemishes such as freckles and blemishes.

10. Main Ingredients

It has higher sericin content than normal silkworms (Sericin content: not less than 650mg/General silk: not more than 300mg).

Sericin has a Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) and contains all 16 kinds of protein that the human skin needs.

The main protein components include serine, tyrosine, alanine, leucine, cysteine, threonine, proline, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine, isoleucine, histidine, valine, hydroxylysine, phenylalanine, hydroxyproline, etc.

Product Production

- Annual production and supply

- Customized production possible

We look for partners who can distribute or produce finished goods using VIOSILQ. We can produce finished cosmetics products if a customer wants them.