豆渣能变环保袋,你相信吗? 自古以来,大豆就是亚洲人特别喜欢的食物。它们一直被用来制成豆腐、豆浆、酱油、腐乳等食品,但现在,受欢迎的大豆也变成了塑料包装的替代品。 As a basic food in the Asian diet, soybeans(大豆)have been used to make tofu and soy milk for hundreds of years. But now, they are also being turned into an alternative to plastic wrap. William Chen, a professor of food science and technology at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, invented the environment-friendly food wrap. It’s made of cellulose(纤维素), a form of fiber, obtained from the waste generated by soybean product producers. The beans are pressed to squeeze out juice that’s used to make tofu and soy milk. And what’s left is usually thrown away, but Chen takes the waste and puts it through a fermentation(发酵)process, during which cellulose is produced. Cellulose-based plastic wraps have been on the market for a few years, but Chen says that most are made from wood or corn, grown for that purpose. By contrast, his wrap is made from a waste product, which doesn’t compete with other crops for land and is more sustainable. Chen’s technology could help to solve two problems at once: cutting plastic production and reducing the amount of food waste. “In Singapore, the amount of food waste generated every year could fill up 15,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.” Chen says. F&N, a soy-based drinks producer, has partnered with Chen’s lab and provides the waste product, straight from the factory. The company is conducting a study to assess whether the food wrap could compete commercially with conventional products. “The soy-based wrap costs almost nothing to make in the lab,” Chen says, “because the raw materials are free. Commercial production would involve additional expenses, such as storage and quality control, however we have not calculated those costs yet.” Chen hopes neighboring soy-loving countries will be inspired by Singapore to adopt his innovation. “My dream is that our technology, which is cheap and , will cut plastic and food waste and create a cleaner environment,” Chen said.