Starfish powered skincare

Scientists are working to find to a use for 1000s of unwanted starfish, which have been decimating mussel beds in Bay of Plenty’s Ōhiwa Harbour. In partnership with mana whenua, research institutes Waikato University, the Cawthron Institute and Plant & Food Research are working on a project that involves harvesting the starfish and using them to produce an anti-ageing skin cream. In this podcast Scigester Julie Blommaert speaks to Plant & Food Research’s Dr Mathew Cumming (Team Leader, Marine Biopolymer Science) who, along with the Cawthron Institute’s Matt Miller, found that starfish are a good source of marine collagen, which is a high value ingredient in cosmetics. See more podcasts from us at https://www.plantandfood.com/scigest