Silk protein: A novel antifungal and edible coating for strawberry preservation.

In this study, an antimicrobial component, silk protease inhibitors (SPIs), was extracted from discarded silkworm cocoons, and a suitable degumming method for obtaining regenerated silk fibroin (SF) was screened. An edible antimicrobial coating was prepared by mixing SPIs with SF for evaluation of potential in strawberries preservation. Results demonstrated that SPI could effectively inhibit mycelial growth and spore germination. The alkaline protease method exhibited the highest degumming rate of 24.4 %. The SPI-SF coating exhibited excellent mechanical properties, high water vapor permeability, and easy washability. Within 10 days, seedlings treatment with SPI-SF coating solution showed a germination rate of 94.3 %, and exhibited good biocompatibility with HepG2 cells. Coating with SPI-SF led to increase in the storage period of strawberries to 10–14 days, concurrent with considerable reduction in decay rate at room temperature. Conclusively, this study demonstrates the potential of SPI-SF edible coating in strawberries preservation. [Display omitted] • Silk protease inhibitors (SPI) effectively inhibited Botrytis cinerea. • Silk fibroin (SF) degummed by alkaline protease had superior film-forming property. • SPI-SF benefited the fresh keeping of strawberries as antifungal coating materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]