what I have read on line about feeding silkworms brought out two related points about the mulberry tree leaves.
Firstly, the step of matching of the right leaves to the right age of the silkworms is a BIG deal, such a big deal that it takes laying some foundation to appreciate. The freshness as well as the age of the leaves has to be selected for the precise age of the silkworms being fed the leaves. If the matching is off then the silkworms don't digest the nutrients from mulberry leaves fed to them well enough to thrive. The trees need to be nearly continually harvested and the leaves separated for matching to the appetite of the appropriate age of silkworms on a remarkably short cycle. If the silkworms at each feeding during their own maturation are not properly nurtured with the right and changing age of mulberry leaves, the silkworms do not produce silk, maybe don't survive for more attempts. Really big deal, right? More than merely having trees to bring leaves to the silkworms, right?
Secondly, the step of matching the silkworms and the species of the mulberry is not as easy as we might have thought. If what I read is right, the fiber quality and texture are closely dependent on the digestion of the right source of leaves. Many different mulberrry varieties and screening for the right mulberry for the right leaves for the particular silkworms is more complicated than I had expected before my online reading. Changing or blending leaves of different species is a big deal because of the material produced from the silkworms coincidentally changing as the feed is changed. Consistent silk features sounds much rarer than we might hope, right?
Other companies are patenting genetic engineering of silkworms. Many competitor patents relating to the goal of a diet of a factory made feed to replace fresh mulberry leaves by engineering the digestive variables for the silkworms....
Impact? I am thinking the "ramp up" in production is not as easy as I had expected before doing my reading (due diligence?) I also find a nagging worry that someone else's patents could be critical to complete the goals for KBLB in mass production
