A major undesirable constituent part of silk is ‘silk gum’ or ‘sericin’ about 25% of total mass. Sericin is removed by degumming. Degumming is the process of removing the sericin, or silk gum, from silk. Removing the gum improves the sheen, color, hand, and texture of the silk. Because the gum can serve as a protective layer, it is typically left on the silk until it is ready to dye. The process involved to remove these impurities is called ‘degumming’ or ‘scouring’ of silk.