New Material: Pure Natural Technology Cultivates Colored Silk With Wide Market

Colored silk is a natural colored fiber formed by spinning specially cultivated silkworm eggs. It has many colors, such as golden, red, rust, green, etc.

There are two main ways to cultivate colored silk:

One is to improve silkworm eggs through modern breeding technology, for example, to cultivate new silkworm natural color cocoon varieties through transgenic means;

The second is to add biological organic pigments in the silkworm feed to change the coloration performance of its silk gland after silkworm eating, so as to form colorful cocoons.

Colored silk is widely used to produce various silk products, such as colorful silk fabrics, silk quilts, silk scarves, clothing, etc. Because colored silk has natural color and does not need chemical dyeing, the products made are more environmentally friendly, soft and beautiful, and are favored by consumers.

In addition, colored silk also has good ultraviolet absorption capacity, which can effectively prevent skin damage caused by ultraviolet radiation. The performance, application and development prospects of colored silk are also very broad.

In addition to the excellent properties of ordinary silk, colored silk also has better UV protection, anti-oxidation and antibacterial functions, and can be used to make sanitary products, nursing products, underwear or cosmetics.

With the improvement of people's awareness of environmental protection, the market demand for colored cocoons is increasing, and the development prospect of colored silk is very optimistic.

In actual production, some enterprises have successfully cultivated high-quality colored cocoons, solved the problem of decolorization of colored cocoons, and realized the industrialized production of colored cocoons.

For example, Nanchong Yinhai Silk Co., Ltd. has successfully cultivated "Golden No. 1" high-quality colored cocoons by introducing high-quality colored cocoon eggs and establishing a research and development team for color cocoon refining and fixation, and solved the problem of color cocoon bleaching, providing raw material guarantee for high-end silk quilts.

In general, the cultivation and application of colored silk is an important innovation in the silk industry. It not only meets the market's demand for diversified and personalized products, but also provides a new direction for the sustainable development of the silk industry.

The cultivation and production of colored silk is a complex process combining modern biotechnology and traditional sericulture technology. Here are some key steps and methods:

　　1. Gene transformation and breeding: Through gene recombination technology, scientists can cultivate silkworm eggs that can produce naturally colored silk. For example, the team of Professor Chen Yuyin from Zhejiang University has successfully cultivated the first practical colored cocoon variety in China, "Jinqiu × Churi", through years of research. This kind of cocoon is naturally golden.

2. Feed addition: Adding specific organic pigments to the silkworm feed can make the silkworm produce colorful silk after eating. This method does not involve genetic modification, but affects the color of silk through external factors.

　　3. Color fixation technology of natural colored cocoon silk: In order to maintain the color of colored silk, researchers have developed color fixation technology to ensure that the color will not fade due to oxidation during reeling. For example, the key laboratory of sericulture of Southwest University has developed this fixation technology and has applied for a national patent.

　　4. Industrialized production: the production of colored silk has been industrialized. For example, Professor Xu Shiqing's team from the Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology and Ecology of Suzhou University has successfully developed the key technology of natural colored silkworm cocoon silk and achieved industrial production through ten years of research.

　　5. Environmental protection and economic benefits: The production process of colored silk reduces environmental pollution, because they do not need chemical dyeing in the later stage. In addition, the natural pigments contained in colored silk have health care functions, such as antifungal, antioxidant, UV protection and other characteristics, which increase the added value of the product.

　　6. Market application: colored silk is widely used in high-end textiles, such as silk quilts, clothing, scarves, etc. due to its unique color and environmental protection characteristics. These products are favored by consumers in the market, especially among consumers who pursue natural and environmentally friendly products.

7. Policy support: The Chinese government has also issued relevant policies to support the high-quality development of the sericulture and silk industry, which provides a good policy environment for the cultivation and production of colored silk.

To sum up, the cultivation and production of colored silk is a multidisciplinary field, involving biotechnology, genetics, textile engineering and environmental protection.

With the progress of technology and the growth of market demand, the development prospect of colored silk is very broad.