Fruit leftovers turned into bandages

SCIENTISTS at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore are tackling food waste by turning the discarded husks of durian fruit 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, cut into bandage strips.

“In Singapore, we consume about 12 million durians a year, but we can’t do much about the husk and the seeds, causing environmental pollution,” said Professor William Chen, director of the food science programme at NTU.

The fruit’s husks, which make up more than half of the durians, are usually discarded and incinerated, contributing to environmental waste.

The technology can also turn other food waste, such as soy beans and spent grains, into hydrogel, helping limit the country’s food waste, he said.

Compared to conventional bandages, the organo-hydrogel bandages are able to keep wounds 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.

Durian wholesaler, Tan Eng Chuan, said he goes through 30 crates of durians a day in durian season – up to 1 800kg. Using parts of the fruit that are ordinarily discarded, he said, was an innovation.