A professor of food science and technology at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University has invented a biodegradable food wrap made of cellulose and extracted from the waste generated by soybean product manufacturers.
The waste that is left behind when soybeans are squeezed is usually wasted, but William Chen puts the leftovers through a fermentation process, with cellulose, a form of fibre, being left behind.
The technology could help to solve two problems at once, both cutting plastic production and reducing the amount of food waste deposited in landfill.
Chen said: “In Singapore, the amount of food waste we generate every year can fill up 15,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. My dream is that our technology, which is cheap and simple to implement, will cut plastic and food waste and create a cleaner environment.”