durian husk benefits
With the durian fetish among Southeast Asians going nowhere anytime soon, it was only a matter of time before some smart folks ended up creating something useful from all the waste produced on the sidelines.
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Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore are tackling food waste by turning discarded durian husks into antibacterial gel bandages.
The process extracts cellulose powder from the fruit’s husks after they are sliced and freeze-dried, then mixes it with glycerol. This mixture becomes soft hydrogel, which is then cut into bandage strips.
“In Singapore, we consume about 12 million durians a year, so besides the flesh, we can’t do much about the husk and the seeds, and this causes environmental pollution,”
William Chen
The researchers say using waste materials and yeast for the antimicrobial bandages is more cost-effective than the production of conventional bandages, whose antimicrobial properties come from more expensive metallic compounds like silver or copper ions.
Since coming up with prototype products, the team has entered talks with potential industry partners to determine the possibility of ramping up production for the bandages. According to Chen, the full product could even hit stores within just two years should all things go smoothly, with retail prices expected to be competitive right from the beginning.
durian husk benefits
