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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 cause environmental pollution," said Professor William
Chen, director of the food science and technology programme at
NTU. The fruit's husks, which make up more than half of the
composition of durians, are usually discarded and incinerated,
contributing to environmental waste.
Chen added that the technology can also turn other food waste,
such as soy beans and spent grains, into hydrogel, helping limit
the country's food waste.
Compared to conventional bandages, the organo-hydrogel bandages
are also able to keep wound areas cooler and moist, which can
help accelerate healing.
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.
A durian wholeseller, Tan Eng Chuan, said he goes through at
least 30 crates of durians a day during durian season - as much
as 1,800 kg. Being able to use the parts of the fruit that are
ordinarily discarded, he said, was an innovation that would make
enjoying it "more sustainable".
(Reporting by Lee Ying Shan and Travis Teo. Editing by Gerry
Doyle)
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