NTU Singapore scientists find one more reason for us to love the durian

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed an all-natural food stabiliser from the seeds of the durian fruit.

The durian, a thorny fruit known for its unique taste and smell, is popularly dubbed the King of Fruits in Southeast Asia.

Its seeds (about 3-4 cm in diameter) are normally thrown away after the flesh is consumed, but using a patented technique to harvest the thick gum from the seeds, an NTU team has shown that it could be used as a natural food stabiliser.

Food stabilisers are commonly used in prepared food items to give it a uniform texture and it contains sugar-protein biopolymers, which bind various ingredients that naturally tend to separate.

Some examples include gelatine and gum arabic which are added in soft candy and sweeteners, pectin in dairy products, and emulsifiers in lotions and cosmetics.

The durian gum harvested by the NTU researchers not only contains necessary elements to serve as a food stabiliser, but also supports probiotics. These are good bacteria that help people maintain a healthy digestive system.

When compared with regular powder-based probiotics in commercial food stabilisers, the durian seed gum was found to be 20 per cent more effective in prolonging probiotics’ lifespan, reported the team in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems in September 2018.

The findings are the culmination of a three-year research project led by Professor William Chen, Director of NTU’s Food Science and Technology programme, who is now in talks with several interested companies to license and commercialise the research findings.

Potential applications include use in probiotic beverages and as natural food stabilisers. As the food stabiliser from durians are plant-based, they are also suitable for vegetarians and those who avoid animal-based food stabilisers such as gelatine.