BIOCHEMICAL PROFILING OF THE METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF SILKWORM (Bombyx Mori L.) EXCRETA

The excrement of silkworms, when harnessed as a natural substance, proves to be a valuable resource for dyeing fabrics, offering practical attributes and environmental benefits. Earlier studies carried out or assessing the suitability of silkworm excreta as a source of natural dye, resulted in colours resembling clay creek, barley corn, tobacco brown, pesto limed oak and pesto shades. The optimal conditions for dye extraction included a material to liquid ratio of 1:30, a temperature of 90° C and duration of 80 minutes. In order to ascertain colour characteristics of the natural dye, the methanolic extract obtained from silkworm excreta was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening, UV spectra analysis, FT-IR and GC-MS analysis. The results revealed the presence of flavonoids, phenolic compounds, carbohydrates, kaempferol, quercetin, phe-ophorbide, pyropheophorbide, Quercetin 3'-methyl ether, and Pheophorbide as the key components. In general, this novel dye presents a greener substitute for synthetic yellow-brown dyes traditionally used in fabric coloring, offering an eco-friendly approach and used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries due to presence of bioactive compounds.