Biodegradable textile fibers with inherent color and properties

A method for generating a biotextile material comprising:

• (a) obtaining a biopolymer composition comprising a purified, recombinantly expressed protein, the recombinantly expressed protein having been expressed from a DNA coding sequence of a source protein, the DNA coding sequence having been optionally modified to include at least one tag sequence that enhances the crosslinking capacity of the recombinantly expressed protein;
• (b) exposing the composition to an enzyme to enzymatically crosslink the recombinantly expressed protein to at least another unit of the recombinantly expressed protein or another constituent of the biopolymer composition;
• and
• (c) generating a biotextile material based on the crosslinked composition, the biotextile material exhibiting a functional characteristic associated with the recombinantly expressed protein.