Researchers at Thailand’s Thammasat University have developed a coating technique that stops the strong odour of durian from spreading.
According to the Bangkok Post, the ‘Active Coating’ also keeps the fruit fresh for longer, allowing growers to pick when the fruit is at peak ripeness and still have time to ship to overseas markets.
University professor Woraphat Luckanatinvong led the research team, which developed the durian coating over several years after undergraduate student Prakasit Chumcheun initiated the project.
The coating prevents the skin from cracking and the odour from spreading – two common problems during shipments – and only costs Thb2 to Thb3 per fruit (US$0.05-US$0.08), Woraphat told the Post.
Durians are banned from some publicspaces and publictransport in Thailand and major durian importers China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
