*3.1. Gelation Time of SF:eADF14(C16) Blends*

The gelation of fibroin solutions was associated with the formation of heterogenous microstructures, which affected the light scattering degree in the visible range [5]. Therefore, the gelation can be noticed from the point at which an abrupt change of the visiblelight absorbance value occurs. Figure 1 demonstrates the gelation time of 2% and 3% SF:eADF14(C16) blends. Only eADF4(C16) showed gel formation within less than a day, while a blending with SF significantly prolonged the gelation time. Increasing protein concentrations resulted in faster gelation. The SF:eADF4(C16) samples at a ratio 3:7 underwent the gelation in less than 40 h. Furthermore, a supplementation with DMEM, PBS, and NSS significantly reduced the gelation time, especially for blended samples (5:5 and 3:7 ratio). DMEM addition yielded slower gelation kinetics in case of blended 5:5 and 3:7 SF:eADF4(C16) solutions, when compared to those in presence of PBS and NSS.
