• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.18-23
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• 2019

Bombyx mori silkworm has many silkworm varieties and the structure and properties of silk can be varied depending on the silkworm variety. Therefore, the choice of proper silkworm variety can be an effective way to control and improve the performance of silk materials in biomedical and cosmetic applications. As a preliminary study, in the present study, thirty nine Bombyx mori silkworm cocoons were prepared and their molecular conformation and crystallinity were examined. Molecular conformation and the crystallinity of silkworm cocoons were different depending on the silkworm variety. Interestingly, the crystallinity index of outside of cocoon was different from that of inside of cocoon and the difference between the crystallinities of outside and inside of cocoon was varied depending on the silkworm variety. In this study, the silkworm variety cocoons were classified into three groups (Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3) based on the difference of crystallinities between outside and inside.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.51-55
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• 2019

The structure and properties of silk polymers (fibroin and sericin) can be satisfactorily controlled by choosing a suitable silkworm variety and, hence, this parameter (i.e., silkworm variety) has attracted increasing attention. A previous study reported that the crystallinity of white colored silkworm cocoons depends on the silkworm variety. In the present study, sixteen yellow colored silkworm variety cocoons were produced and their molecular conformation and crystallinity were investigated. The conformation of the silkworm cocoons varied with the silkworm variety. Most cocoons exhibited ${\beta}$-sheet conformation, although random coil and ${\beta}$-sheet conformations co-existed in some cocoons (e.g., 21 and D90). The crystallinity of the silkworm cocoons varied with the silkworm variety and the measurement position of the cocoon (i.e., outer surface or inner surface). However, the difference in the crystallinity indices of the outer and inner surfaces comprising the cocoons varied with the silkworm variety, but was <2% for all cocoons, except for MAL.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.79-89
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• 2023

This paper is about the development results of an automatic silkworm breeding system to reduce labor and time by automatically performing the works for silkworm droppings changing and feed its food. It consists of an automatic guided vehicle and a processing unit. The automatic guided vehicle transports a silkworm dropping changing frame mounted on a silkworm tray stand, and the processing unit takes over the dropping changing frame on it, removes excrement contained the droppings changing frame and feeds silkworm food. In the case of the current silkworm farming, because the breeding period for large silkworms (4 to 5 stage) is short to 14 days and the supply of mulberry leaves takes 98% of the total amount of mulberry leaves needed for breeding silkworms at this time, labor concentration is intensive, and all breeding works depends on manpower. Therefore, it was difficult to breed large silkworms on a large scale. Moreover, silkworms are bred by adding Silkworm bed (Seop) and mulberry in the silkworm tray, and their droppings changing is to separate silkworms and excrement by moving silkworm trays one by one, and the production cost increases due to the high-cost manpower for silkworm breeding. To solve this problem, technology for automating silkworm breeding has also been developed. However, there is still a limitation that silkworm feeding and droppings changing works are not suitable for mass breeding because a lot of labor and time are spent depending on manual work. Therefore, a new silkworm breeding system for breeding silkworm automatically is needed and so we developed an Automatic Silkworm Breeding System applying the droppings change frame, the inverting unit, the feeding silkworm food device and automatic guided vehicle.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.205-208
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• 2012

Antheraea pernyi silkworm is a well known wild silkworm to produce a valuable silk fiber. A. pernyi silkworm was reared in Korean oak field and examined the cocoon characteristics, such as cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, and percentage of cocoon shell weight. Degumming loss was also measured after alkali degumming process. A. pernyi silkworm spins tawny color cocoon in oval shape. Cocoon shell weight of A. pernyi silkworm, 0.78 g, was heavier than that of B. mori silkworm, 0.51 to 0.63 g. Cocoon shell percentage of A. pernyi silkworm, 32.8%, was higher than that of B. mori silkworm, 23.4 to 25.2%. Degumming loss percentage of A. pernyi silkworm, 17.1%, was lower than that of B. mori silkworm, 25.0%. SEM showed that the surface of the cocoon filament was coarse and oriented with longitudinal direction.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2005

While observing silkworm larval samples received from field, microsporidian spores formed within the haemocytes of silkworm haemolymph were observed. The spores of microsporidian sp. were purified and characterized for morphological characters viz., size, shape as well as serological affinity with different Nosema spp. (M$_{11}$ and M$_{12}$). The infectivity of the isolated spores to silkworm was also studied. The microsporidian sp. was found to be highly pathogenic to silkworm, B. mori. The isolated microsporidian sp. was designated as NIK-5hm, which formed ovocylindrical spore in the haemocytes of silkworm and differed in spore size (length, 4.55 $\mu$m & width, 2.10 $\mu$m) and shape from Nosema bombycis (NIK-ls), NIK-2r (Nosema sp. Mysore [3.6 & 2.8 $\mu$m]), NIK-3h (Nosema sp. M$_{11}$ [3.8 & 1.8 $\mu$m]), NIK-4m (Nosema sp. M$_{12}$ [5.0 & 2.1 $\mu$m]) and Lb$_{ms}$ (Nosema sp. in Lamerine breed of silkworm [4.36 & 2.14]). In immonological test (Latex agglutination test), the isolated microsporidian spores did not react with antibody sensitized latex particles of N. bombycis, M$_{11}$, M$_{12}$ and Lb$_{ms}$ and thus are different type of microsporidian sp., parasitic to silkworm, Bombyx mori L.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.58-63
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• 2015

An experimental rearing of tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta Drury was conducted to study silkworm-food plant-interaction and thereby to search for an alternate silkworm food plant. The silkworm-food-plant-interaction was studied with six different food plant species viz. Terminalia tomentosa, Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia belerica, Terminalia chebula of Combretaceae family and Lagerstroemia speciosa, Lagerstroemia parviflora of Lythraceae family. The rearing performance of silkworm on Lagerstroemia speciosa in terms of cocoons per DFL and silk ratio was found comparable with Terminalia tomentosa and Termonalia arjuna, the primary tasar silkworm food plant species. These three plant species also possessed better results in terms of physiological (leaf moisture content and net photosynthesis rate) and biochemical (Chlorophyll, protein, carbohydrate and crude fibre contents) characteristics to support silkworm rearing than Terminalia belerica, Terminalia chebula and Lagerstroemia parviflora. The correlation study between silkworm rearing performance and food plant's constituents indicates commercial perspective of Lagerstroemia speciosa as an alternate food plant for tasar silkworm rearing.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2021

In the present study, the effect of heat treatment on the crystallinity of the outside of silkworm cocoon in nine different silkworm varieties was studied using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Additionally, the morphological structure and moisture regain of the cocoon were examined. The silkworm cocoon showed different colors and external features depending on the silkworm variety. Moreover, the thickness of the filament (15.3-27.6 ㎛) and moisture regain of the cocoon (9.0%-11.0%) were quite different depending on the silkworm variety. The crystallinity index of the cocoon outside varied from 52.1% to 56.1%, depending on the silkworm variety. J300 and MO42 showed the highest (56.1%) and the lowest (52.1%) crystallinity index, respectively, indicating that the microstructure of sericin of the outside of the cocoon was affected by the silkworm variety. Regardless of silkworm variety, their crystallinity indexes decreased from 52.1%-56.1% to 49.9%-43.6% depending on the silkworm variety by the heat treatment at 250 ℃. Interestingly, the crystallinity degree decrease was somewhat different depending on the silkworm variety, implying that the cocoon sericin microstructure is strongly influenced by the silkworm variety.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 1997

Bombyx mori, silkworm powder has been studied for blood-glucose lowering activity by National Sericulture & Entomology Research Institute(NSERI) and Kyung Hee University group in 1995. To obtain the optimum preparative condition of silkworm powder for lowering blood-glucose levels in postprandial time, blood-glucose lowering activity of mulberry & silkworm varieties were examined. In mulberry varieties, Samkwangjam showed the highest activity. Activity for lowering blood-glucose levels of autumn rearing silkworm was higher than that of spring silkworm and hybrid silkworm showed higher activity than that of parent silkworm. In the silkworm lines, Chinese lines showed higher activity than that of Japanese lines. In experiments to see the difference in blood-glucose lowering activity between either male and female or larvae and pupae, activity of larvae was higher than that of pupae and the male was higher than female. The heating dry and artificial diet showed lower than mulberry diet and normal freeze dry of the 5th instar 3rd day. Among the sericultural products, larvae showed the highest activity.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.308-314
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• 2006

This study was carried out to investigate the physicochemical quality characteristics of Nouaejelly(jelly using silkworm powder) sericultural products which were manufactured using various levels(0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2%) of silkworm powder. The effects of an additional amount of silkworm powder to Nouaejelly were determined by examining, the physicochemical, sensory, and textural properties. The moisture and crude protein content of the Nouaejelly were higher than that of the control(p<0.05). However, the crude fat content of the Nouaejelly was lower than that of the control(p<0.05). The mineral content increased with increasing addition of silkworm powder. The color of the Nouaejelly became darker with increasing levels of silkworm powder. For the texture measurements, the hardness, gumminess and chewiness of the Nouaejelly decreased with increasing levels of silkworm powder, but those of the jelly were decreased significantly by adding 0.5% silkworm powder(p<0.05). In terms of color, the texture and overall preference of Nouaejelly was highest in the jelly containing 1 % silkworm powder(p<0.05). Overall, the optimal amount of silkworm powder added in the manufacture of Nouaejelly was 1% of the total weight.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.66-69
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• 1995

Traditional Antheraea pernyi silkworm cocoon is tawny color. The white Antheraea pernyi silkworm cocoons studied here by IR and UV are new breeds of recent breeding. We discovered that the main body of the first grade structure of silk protein in the new white is as same as the one in the traditional tawny Antheraea pernyi silkworm cocoon, yet there are small quantities of cross-linked polymer of gentisic acid and silk protein in the white silkworm cocoons. In spite of the least surviving quantity of the polymer, the white silkworm cocoons are most white and its white color is similar to white Bombyx mori silkworm cocoon.