 |
Kaya-cho, Kyoto, where Tango Chirimen, a traditional Japanese silk crape, is manufactured: Today, this town of silk is buzzing with the "edible silk" craze. Several years ago, it began producing silk powder, and then started selling processed food products containing silk powder, such as udon and soba noodles and confectionery. The products proved to be a hit, and today the town can barely produce enough raw materials (waste from spinning and reeling silk) to satisfy demand.
Delicate silk with its exquisite, pearlescent glow is in fact a protein comprised of several thousand interlinked molecules of 18 kinds of amino acids. Research into edible silk began in the 1980s, focusing on the fact that silk was a protein. Edible silk was eventually produced by hydrolyzing silk using enzyme and hydrochloric acid. These studies found that the amino acids composing silk contained generous quantities of glycine and serine that reduce blood sugar levels, alanine that reduces stress on the liver and promotes alcohol metabolism, and tyrosine, part of a neurotransmitter in the brain believed to help prevent dementia. In short, if silk powder could be consumed easily as part of the diet, it would help improve the health of people today, who tend to suffer from surplus energy and lack of exercise.
A group of products that rivals edible silk in popularity is one applied to the skin, a "silk powder cosmetics" for healthier skin. Silk cosmetics are not a new idea—they have been around for almost 30 years—but early products capitalized on silk's luxury image and its actual health benefits were not taken very seriously. But today, with progress in silk pulverization technology, the benefits can expect to match the product image. This is because of research findings that the proteins comprised in silk have moisture-retentive and ultraviolet ray-blocking properties.
Says Director Morio Katsuno of Silk Science Research Institute Dainihon Raw Silk Foundation, "We have discovered that a protein called sericin contained in silk in large quantities inhibits the effects of enzymes that is responsible for skin blemishes and wrinkles. This protein also dissolves well in water, which helps to moisturize the skin. Another plus is that it has ultraviolet (UV) ray-blocking properties, which is good because the UVs can induce skin cancer. One reason for this could be that cocoons are designed to protect silkworms." Nature's unknown latent powers are truly remarkable.
|
 |
 |
| Food containing silk is useful for maintaining health. |
|
