Abstract
The change in the water content in the liquid silk and the cocoon fiber during the spinning process was investigated. The water contnet in the cocoon fiber immediately after spinning was calculated to be 69.5% by measuring the changes in the weight of spinning larvae and cocoon fibers in a certain period during spinning. The liquid silk in the silkgland exhibited noticeable change twice in the water content during the movement to the spinneret. The first change occurred at the transition from posterior to middle silkglands, and water content decreased from 84% to 75%. In the middle silkgland the water in the liquid fibroin was partly dehydrated, and as a result water content in the liquid sericin surpassed that in the liquid fibroin, that is, the water content of liquid fibroin to liquid sericin resulted in a ratio of 1 to 1.15. The second change occurred in the spinneret, and the water content decreased from 77% to 69.5%.
