King of fruits: Upcycling young durian for skincare formulations could add value to agricultural waste

14 Oct 2022 --- Young durian extracts possess high levels of antioxidants that help moisturize the skin while also providing UV protection, reveal Thai researchers. They studied the biochemical composition and its potential use for bio-economy to produce skincare products that help farmers add value to their agricultural waste.

“Compared to with vitamin C, it is found that young durian extracts have a similar level of protection, if not higher, since it contains a high level of antioxidants,” shares Putthamas Pewlong, a Master’s student in Biochemistry at Chulalongkorn University.

Dr. Supaart Sirikantaramas, the research team lead and associate professor of the Department of Biochemistry at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, speaks with PersonalCareInsights detailing the research process.

“In durian orchards, lots of young durian fruit need to be thinned to maintain appropriate numbers of fruit per tree. Therefore, they are now considered as agricultural waste,” he says. 

Skin toxicity of young durian extract was tested and found negative, making it safe for skincare formulations.Sourcing agricultural waste
Farmers usually need to trim off around 200 to 300 young durians per tree to relieve the excessive weight of the fruits. This generates tremendous agricultural waste in the process, the researchers flagged.

“We aim to buy young durian fruit from orchards to prepare high antioxidant durian extract. This adds value to the fruit. We have tested our extract for a few activities including antioxidant activity particularly in human skin cells. We are testing other activities at the moment, including activities related to food supplements.” 

Skin toxicity was tested and found negative, rendering the extracts “highly safe and can be used in cosmetics and skincare products.”

The research team also found that the extraction from young durian can increase the cell divisions of hair roots, which means that it has the potential to be adapted to diverse hair products in the future.

Durian’s durability
Thailand’s vital cash crop, the durian, is called the king of fruits. It is crucial to the economy since Thailand annually exports durians to various countries, bringing in a vast amount of income for the country.

The six to 12 cm long young durians can produce a transparent slime, similar to a snail’s slime, inside the fruit when soaked in water.Farmers usually need to trim off around 200 to 300 young durians per tree to relieve the excessive weight of the fruits. 

The team analyzed the young durian’s metabolome to determine its chemical composition and biological activities.

Polyphenols, which are very high in antioxidants, were found along with phenolics. They carry the ability to halt or delay oxidation –the cause of oxidants – and can create glycation that involves adding sugar to proteins. Polyphenols also protect the skin from ultraviolet rays. Additionally, pectin which keeps the skin hydrated, was also found in the fruit. 

“Our extract can be prepared in either liquid form or powder so it can be added in any formulation. Our young durian extract can be used to replace synthetic ones since antioxidants in plant extracts are gaining much attention,” says Dr. Sirikantaramas.

Pewlong explains that extraction was carried out using biomarkers – without toxic solvents or heat – and the fruit cells were studied to ascertain the effect of dust or sunlight on it.

“The results showed that cells with a high level of young durian extraction contain large numbers of live cells. This means that when the cream is applied before being exposed to pollutants, our skin gets more protection than not having applied any skincare.”

By Radhika Sikaria