RITESSERE strives to demonstrate how, by rethinking the typical linear value chain model, is possible to reuse a specific by-product obtained in the production of silk yarns, the sericin, generating new materials and new products characterized by high added value with a gigantic payback. RITESSERE is characterized by a multidisciplinary approach and research team that integrates different disciplines such as agronomy, engineering, and chemistry. RITESSERE aims to produce new materials from sericin in three different Demonstration Activities i) facial sheet mask composed by sericin, ii) 3D scaffold based on sericin for new cell culture substates, and iii) sustainable packaging films based on sericin. This multidisciplinary team is complemented by economic sensibilities through a collaboration with members directly involved in economic aspects of circular economy supply chains. The economic analysis is intended to be the picklock to open possible new markets for this material that is nowadays considered an impediment whereas it would have up valuable economical return for many industries including cosmetics, pharmaceutical and biomedical. 

RITESSERE is a project funded by Fondazione Cariplo 2022-0529

Despite the huge amount of released feather by-products, the present recovery of useful raw materials, in particular keratin, from poultry feather is notably negligible. One of the barriers limiting the transition of feather waste management from linearity to circularity is represented by recurrent poor quality of products extracted from feather waste, which frequently do not meet the needs of the industrial scenario, discouraging possible investments in valorisation of feather waste. KARATE project, founded by Fondazione Cariplo, is proposing a multidisciplinary approach to overcome this barrier, aiming at developing high quality products from feather waste keratin that can fit industries’ requirements.

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Leonardino, a research company that produces electrospinning/ electrospraying equipment, has been using CELLS facilities for the morphology analysis of their mats for the development of new products and devices.

In collaboration with Cosetex we analysed the filaments of ultrafine silk fibers in line with the most technical microfibers, while avoiding the major disadvantages of synthetic textile microfibers. For more information https://www.cosetex.it/en/news/microfiber-ultrafine-silk-thermoregulating/

In this study Simone Mariuzzi and Davide Iaconianni designed the fabrication of nanofiber films using coaxial electrospinning, a technique that enables the creation of composite nanofibers with controlled morphology and material distribution, enhancing mechanical and functional properties compared to conventional single-polymer systems. The coaxial approach is used to combine sericin and chitosan in the shell while fibroin forms the core of the fibers.

Resilin, a natural elastomeric protein found in the exoskeleton of insects, offers interesting properties that can inspire innovative biomaterials. Short resilin-derived peptides are brominated and processed by electrospinning to obtain elastic scaffolds suitable for mimicking vascular walls. The project builds on this approach to develop and validate vascular in vitro models with physiological-like mechanical properties, opening new possibilities for tissue engineering.