A research by the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) on durian rinds as natural bio preservatives secured over 900,000 pesos funding from the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).

Durian, dubbed "the king of tropical fruit," is a popular fruit in Southeast Asia known for its pungent odor, spiky appearance, and delicious taste. In the Davao Region, the Philippine Statistics Authority reports that durian had an increasing trend in volume production from 2017 to 2019.

Aside from its delicious taste, durian rinds or the fruit's outer skin can be used for many purposes. Multiple studies reveal that the durian rinds can be used as fiber, paper, organic fertilizer, and even as fiberboard. USeP's research aims to use the fruit's rinds as natural bio preservatives by isolating bacteriocinogenic Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) and extracting bacteriocin from fermenting durian rind. This research also aims to provide future solutions to food safety issues. 

Prof. Judee Nogodula, Head of the USEP College of Arts and Sciences Research, spearheads this project together with the University of the Philippines Los Baños as the cooperating agency. 

The project is funded through the Regional Research Fund (RRF) facilitated by the Regional Health Research and Development Consortium (RHRDC), the regional arm of DOST-PCHRD. USeP is a member of the said consortium. The RHRDC provides RRF to encourage researchers to be actively involved in health research activities and build up their capabilities in designing, implementing, and promoting health research projects in the region. 

The project is funded for one year and will undergo the necessary phases to complete the study. The grant fund will cover expenses such as supplies, materials, technologies, transportation, maintenance, and laboratory technicians that will serve in the project.

Sources:

DOST XI S&T Information and Promotion / https://region11.dost.gov.ph/
https://region11.healthresearch.ph/