Silkworm powder
■About this ingredient
The useful component of silkworms is bioconcentrated DNJ (deoxynolidimycin).
DNJ is a unique component contained in mulberry leaves that silkworms eat. DNJ is bioaccumulated three times through the silkworm food chain.
Furthermore, the absorption rate is approximately 30 times higher than when DNJ is taken from mulberry leaves.
In addition to DNJ, it is rich in insect hormones (natural amino acids), vitamins, and minerals, and has been confirmed to have a high synergistic effect with DNJ. However, not all silkworm powder is the same.
Silkworms produce cocoons, so their quality tends to vary depending on the time of harvest, drying method, and feed.
The traditional method of sericulture using mulberry leaves is becoming less common, and silkworms raised on artificial feed and brown, hardened white ginger silkworms are now in circulation. However, we have adopted a silkworm powder produced using a method patented by the Korean government in which silkworms on the third day of their fifth instar, when the organic mulberry leaves are maximally bio-condensed in traditional sericulture, are flash-freezed while still alive.
■ Patented manufacturing method
We purchase silkworm powder based on a patented manufacturing method (patent number: 2757937) owned by the Korean government.
This silkworm powder is the result of joint research between the Korean government's Agriculture Promotion Agency Research Institute and Kyung Hee University.
Japan's sericulture industry declined due to the spread of synthetic fibers after the war, but traditional sericulture is still practiced in some rural mountain areas of Korea.
Silkworms, which are 5th instar and 3 days old, are raised on pesticide-free mulberry leaves and harvested only twice a year, in spring and autumn. They are then flash frozen alive at -170°C using liquefied nitrogen gas, and then dried at -55°C for 48 hours.
Silkworm enzymes oxidize very easily, and if they are not freeze-dried while still alive, the silkworms will turn black and their important components will be lost. Flash freeze-drying is a manufacturing method that prevents this oxidation.
The silkworms produced using this patented method have a beautiful appearance, and the powder is a beautiful mulberry leaf color.Not only is mulberry leaf DNJ bioconcentrated, but it is also rich in useful ingredients such as insect hormones.
We reserve the required amount in advance before the silkworm rearing season in spring and autumn and purchase new silk for that year.
Silkworms have long been used in folklore, but research by the Korean government has proven that they have an extremely effective effect on sugar, which is a concern.
Silkworm DNJ is known as a pharmaceutical ingredient in Korea.