Making rubber from tomato peelings The fruit industry produces large amount of by-product, making it an important target for the development of the circular economy. Researchers at INRAE have been particularly interested in the structure and function of the fruit cuticle. They have developed a process for hydrolysing the cuticle to release its constituent compounds for instance from tomato industry. The researchers found that the cuticle is thin, hydrophobic, insoluble and elastic. By taking inspiration from this cuticle, they were able to create a 100% natural, biodegradable rubber. This environmentally-friendly bio-sourced material could be used to generate small quantities of high-value commercial products. It could also be used to design composite materials. 2. Bénédicte Bakan / BIA Research Unit / TRANSFORM Division INRAE Centre of Pays de la Loire Harvesting the bounty of biomass 01.