Degumming of silk with different protease enzymes

Abstract

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:="" minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;="" mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">Silk was degummed with eight different commercially available enzymes, viz. Degummase 1000L, Protosol, Trypsin, Alcalase, Protease A, Protease N, Pepsin and Protease M. The degumming conditions with respect to concentration and time were optimised for each enzyme. Enzyme activity, an important intrinsic property, and degumming efficiency were evaluated in terms of weight loss, tensile strength, handle and lustre. A weight loss of 24±3% was observed for most of the enzymes at an optimum enzyme cone. of 15% except for Degummase 1000L which gave this result at 25% cone. Trypsin and pepsin gave extremely poor results. The increase in treatment time at the optimum enzyme cone. showed no further significant weight loss. There was no significant strength loss in any of the degummed samples but a marked improvement in handle and lustre was observed. SEM showed that Protosol enzyme gave the best results both with respect to weight loss and smoothness of the fabric.</span>