Q.
Which one of the following constitutes natural silk?
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AIPMTAIPMT 1996Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production
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Solution:
Silk is a pasty secretion of the silkworm produced by the silk gland. As this pasty secretion comes in contact with air, it becomes hard and forms strong and pliable silk strands. This secretion forms two cores of fibroin: (i) a tough elastic insoluble protein consisting of 75% of the fibre's weight and cemented together with sericin from the middle region of the silk gland at the time of secretion, and (ii) a gelatious protein which is easily soluble in warm water. As proteins consist of nitrogen component so it is a main constituent of natural silk.