(Jeonju=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jin-bang = The Rural Development Administration announced on the 3rd that it has scientifically confirmed the weight loss effect of red silkworm, a protein-rich silkworm product.
Red silkworm is made by steaming and freeze-drying silkworms at the peak of their protein content (ripe silkworms, mature silkworms).
It is made from ripe silkworms filled with silk protein for the purpose of creating silkworm cocoons, and is characterized by its nutritional composition of over 70% protein.
In particular, it is rich in amino acids such as glycine (10.4%), which has a liver-protective effect, and serine (6.3%) and alanine (8.4%), which represent the main functions of silk protein.
The Rural Development Administration conducted animal experiments with Professor Kim Eun-hee's research team from the College of Medicine to clarify the effects of red silkworm.
Obese rats induced by a high-fat diet were fed red silkworm (0.01~0.1 g/kg body weight) for 12 weeks, and the change in body weight was measured. The average weight gain of obese rats was 30.37 g, but the average weight gain of obese rats fed red silkworm was limited to 25.25 g.
Moreover, the liver neutral lipids of obese rats that consumed red silkworm decreased by 56.1%, and liver cholesterol decreased by 41.8%.
The research team determined that the cause of weight loss would be in liver lipid metabolism, as the amount of fat accumulated in the liver of rats that consumed red silkworm decreased.
Based on all the clinical results, the research team also conducted human application tests with industries. After 72 adults recruited by Jeonbuk National University Hospital and Wonkwang University Jeonju Oriental Hospital consumed 1.2 g of red silkworm powder per day for 12 weeks, their health improvement, safety, etc. were comprehensively evaluated.
The test results showed that the group that consumed red silkworm powder had a decrease in body weight and body mass index by 0.9 kg and 0.3 kg, respectively.
Based on the research results, the Rural Development Administration plans to proceed with the application procedure for health functional foods after organizing the standard specifications, safety evaluation, and functional evaluation data with industries, so that red silkworm can be recognized as a domestic and foreign functional ingredient.
Bang Hye-sun, Director of the Agricultural Biology Department of the Rural Development Administration, said, "Through this animal experiment and human application test, we were able to confirm the weight loss effect and material safety of red silkworm" and "Based on the proven efficacy of red silkworm so far, we will lay the foundation for the materialization and industrialization of functional food..."