Extraction and Analysis of Natural Rubber from the Latex of Ficus carica, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Polymer Analysis of Durio zibethinus

Abstract

In tropical fruits such as durian (Durio zibethinus) and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), only one quarter to one third of the fruit is edible. Finding more ways to industrially use the other components of the fruit can reduce the waste burned or dumped in landfills. Another fruit tree of interest that can also grow in Austria is the fig tree (Ficus carica). Currently, the fruits are the main product of that plant; however, components in the latex of the tree are of interest too. The latex is known to contain natural rubber, which could potentially be used for industrial applications. Jackfruit trees also produce latex, which contains natural rubber. In both cases, the natural rubber has different properties compared to the conventionally used rubber from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). This could provide new opportunities in various applications. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to analyze the properties of the natural rubber obtained from the jackfruit and fig trees. Additionally, durian fruit also produces a sticky liquid, so the same experiments were also carried out with durian samples. The experimental procedure included extraction with acetone and cyclohexane as well as polymer length determination with gel permeation chromatography and polymer analysis with differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that in both jackfruit and fig tree latex, there is natural rubber of similar polymer length. Durian pulp also contains a polymer; however, with these experiments, it could not be identified. Further research is required to identify the durian polymer and to confirm the results of this experiment.