During the 241st annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, held in Anheim (California, USA) from March 27 to 31, 2011,  a team of Brazilian researchers from São Paulo University presented an innovative plastic material reinforced with nanocellulose from fruits such as pineapples and bananas.
The incorporation of such fruit fibres into the polymeric matrix provides such benefits as component weight reduction and improvement of mechanical properties. These advantages are mostly appreciated in automotive applications (particularly bumpers and dashboards) where light weight means also lower fuel consumption.
According to professor Alcides Leão, this new plastic material would be 30% lighter, up to 4 times stronger and much more eco-friendly than regular plastics.