Processes for producing silk dope

摘要

The present invention relates to methods of producing silk dope comprising silk proteins with a coiled-coil structure such as honeybee silk proteins. The silk proteins are obtained from cells producing them, solubilising the proteins by contacting them with a surfactant or an ionic liquid and concentrating the proteins to produce silk dope. The proteins can be used for a variety of purposes such as in the production of personal care products, plastics, textiles and biomedical products.