Bagworm silk thread collecting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021372007-A1
Application number	US-201816957990-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2018
Priority date	Dec 27, 2017
Publication date	Dec 2, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Developed and provided is a method of collecting a large amount of high-quality bagworm silk threads having no contaminant from bagworm nests in a convenient manner and at low cost. The habit of bagworms is utilized to allow a bagworm to build a nest using solvent-soluble substances or thermally meltable substances as nest materials, followed by dissolving or melting the nest materials to separate the nest material from the bagworm silk threads, whereby only pure bagworm silk threads constituting the bagworm nest can be obtained.

First claim

1 . A method of collecting a bagworm silk thread, comprising:
placing process of placing a naked bagworm separated from a bagworm nest, together with a nest material(s) soluble in a solvent which does not damage, denature, or dissolve the bagworm silk thread; nest building process of allowing the naked bagworm to build a bagworm nest using the nest material(s); dissolving process of dissolving the nest material(s) in the solvent; and separation process of separating the dissolved nest material(s) from the bagworm silk thread.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising collection process of collecting the bagworm nest after the nest building process and before the dissolving process.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the solvent is water.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the solvent is a low-polarity solvent.

5 . A method of collecting a bagworm silk thread, comprising:
placing process of placing a naked bagworm separated from a bagworm nest, together with a thermally meltable nest material(s); nest building process of allowing the naked bagworm to build a bagworm nest using the nest material(s); melting process of melting the nest material under heating at a temperature which does not damage, thermally denature, or melt the bagworm silk thread; and separation process of separating the melted nest material(s) from the bagworm silk thread.

6 . The method according to claim 5 , further comprising collection process of collecting the bagworm nest after the nest building process and before the melting process.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the naked bagworm is placed in a recess of a plate in the placing process, the recess being containable the single naked bagworm body.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the plate is light-blocking.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising cleaning process of cleaning the separated bagworm silk thread.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising drying process of drying the bagworm silk thread.

11 . An unwoven fabric formed of a bagworm silk thread(s) obtainable by using the method of collecting the bagworm silk thread according to claim 1 .

12 . A nest material for collecting a bagworm silk thread, wherein the nest material is water-soluble and has a thin and small piece of shape or rod shape having the maximum length of 40 mm or less.

13 . A nest material for collecting a bagworm silk thread, wherein the nest material is soluble in a low-polarity solvent and has a thin and small piece of shape or rod shape having the maximum length of 40 mm or less.

14 . A nest material for collecting a bagworm silk thread, wherein the nest material is thermally meltable and has a thin and small piece of shape or rod shape having the maximum length of 40 mm or less.

Assignees

• Nat Agriculture & Food Res Org
• Kowa Co

Inventors

• Yoshioka Taiyo
• Kameda Tsunenori
• Asanuma Akimune
• Sassa Hironori

Classifications

• Y02P60/87

  Re-use of by-products of food processing for fodder production · CPC title

• D01F4/00

  Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of proteins; Manufacture thereof · CPC title

• D01C3/02

  De-gumming silk · CPC title

• D01C3/00 Primary

  Treatment of animal material, e.g. chemical scouring of wool · CPC title

• D04H1/09

  Silk · CPC title