Sericin, a dietary additive: Mini review

Abstract

Realization of the nutritive value of silk and silk protein sericin is essential to exploit its compatibility and value added potential. Sericin, a globular protein, obtained from cocoons, as a part of the refining process. It has a wide array of applications in food industry, pharmaceuticals, molecular biology, cosmetics, and textile industry. Dietary intake of sericin reduces the levels of serum cholesterols and triglyceride. Furthermore, exhibits antioxidant activity by inhibiting tyrosinase enzyme. The nutritive value of sericin is explored in countries such as Japan and China. Although sericin is exploited in India in cosmetic industry, textiles, and pharmaceutical industry, it has not been explored in the food industry. Sericin is a unique protein; its rate of production is high, as enormous amount of silk is generated in India and most goes for waste. Instead, it can be utilized into a dietary additive in the food industry. The aim of this review article is to highlight the nutritional benefits of sericin and how best it can be utilized in food industry as a dietary additive for the health benefits.

The flavonoid-rich ethanolic extract from the green cocoon shell of silkworm has excellent antioxidation, glucosidase inhibition, and cell protective effects in vitro

“…As a dietary food, the main characteristic is its antioxidant function. Sericin can be added to bread and drinks or other kinds of food ( 10 ) and is demonstrated to be useful for treatment of constipation, and can suppress the incidence and number of colon tumors ( 11 – 13 ). Therefore, sericin is safe and widely applicable in food and cosmetic industries and applications in biomedicine, such as cryopreservation, wound healing, various metabolic effects in organic systems, and as a vehicle for drug delivery ( 14 – 16 ).…”

Application of sericin‐based edible coating material for postharvest shelf‐life extension and preservation of tomatoes

“…Moreover, the thin layer of sericin coatings is reported to be effective in preserving whole fruits like bananas and strawberries as reported by Cuervo Osorio et al (2021). Sericin‐based coatings have benefits over lipid‐based coatings (Animal waxes, vegetable waxes, mineral, and synthetic waxes) where the latter is allowed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) if it is applied in thin layers and they are promoted as indirect food additives in food coatings (Barajas‐Gamboa et al, 2016a; Ghosh et al, 2017). Excess lipid materials in coatings cause unwanted greasiness, decrease palatability, and are not of interest in the current situations as they can initiate anaerobic respiration with texture loss in fruits and vegetables (Hassan et al, 2018; Oduro, 2021).…”

“…Therefore, there is a massive possibility that sericin‐based films with other biomaterials (polysaccharides, proteins, and gums) can increase the functional properties of edible films by imparting antioxidant, antibacterial, and tunable water barrier properties (Hammam, 2019). Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sericin and its derivatives in the GRAS list and applications of silk sericin are evident in developed countries like Italy, the USA, China, Austria, Japan, and Romania (Barajas‐Gamboa et al, 2016a; Ghosh et al, 2017). The major application segments include cosmetics, medical, and food in these countries.…”

“…Sericin is considered to be a functional food due to its antioxidant property and various studies reported that its dietary consumption reduces serum cholesterol and free fatty acids significantly (Barajas‐Gamboa et al, 2016b). Further, in recent times, the food industry mainly focused on sericin as a food supplement due to its ready availability, nontoxic nature, and productive physiological functions (Ghosh et al, 2019; Lalit, 2015; Takechi & Takamura, 2014). For instance, sericin has a cytoprotective effect, can ameliorate constipation, increase adiponectin effect, and suppress cancers like skin and colorectal.…”

Study of the Antioxidative Effects of Bombyx mori Silk Sericin in Cultures of Murine Retinal Photoreceptor Cells

“…Investigations of the beneficial effect of BMSS as a supplement in cell culture media [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ] were carried on consistently over the past two decades leading to the current commercial availability of sericin-based supplements. In the meantime, the biocompatibility of BMSS became generally accepted, triggering increased interest in the potential applications of BMSS in tissue engineering and biomedicine [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Apart from sericin’s reported enzyme inhibiting and cytoprotective effects, its activity as an antioxidant (also termed antioxidative capacity) is another of its remarkable biological properties, which was first noticed about two decades ago [ 31 ].…”