This
is an odd bit of empirical work that may or may not have a meaningful
application. If they are really lucky,
they may produce something unique and important with real commercial value.
My
problem with that is that we live in an age of massive chemical knowledge that
really does not need any special biological assistance. Thus we end up with a curiosity that could
have been exciting a century or two ago.
Dye stuff was integral to international trade until the Germans invented
industrial science in the late nineteenth century. After that it all blew away.
Otherwise
it is a neat bit of work and may still have value.
Scientists Color Silk By Feeding Silkworms Fabric Dyes
The process is designed to be more
environmentally friendly than traditional dyeing.
By
Posted 12.04.2013 at 2:00 pm
Silkworms Fed a Red Dye Form Pink Silk
American Chemical Society, from "Uptake of
Azo Dyes into Silk Glands for Production of Colored Silk Cocoons Using a Green
Feeding Approach"
Dyeing silk directly by feeding silkworms would
eliminate those water-washing steps. Scientists are just starting to study this
idea, however, it remains to be seen if it's commercially viable. In this
experiment, the Indian team tested seven azo dyes, which are cheap and popular
in the industry.
The scientists found different dyes moved
through silkworms' bodies differently. Some never made it into the worms' silk
at all. Others colored the worms and their cocoons, but the color molecules
settled mostly in the sticky protein the worms add to their cocoons. That sticky
stuff gets washed away before the silk is turned into fabric. Only one dye,
named "direct acid fast red," showed up in the final, washed silk
threads. By the time it made it there, it was a pleasant, light pink.