Banana Fibers: A Scaffold for Cell Adhesion

Overview

In this project, the problem addressed was finding sustainable, low-cost biomaterials that can inhibit bacterial growth and support cell adhesion, using banana plant fibers that are often discarded as agricultural waste. The study tested banana stem, leaf, and peel fibers against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (Gram-positive), common bacteria in wounds, and assessed their potential as scaffolds for yeast cell adhesion. Fibers were tested using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method for antibacterial activity and a yeast adhesion assay, where unattached cells were washed off and remaining cells were counted with ImageJ. The hypothesis predicted that banana stem fibers would be the most effective scaffold due to their porosity and cellulose content, and that they would also show strong antibacterial activity because of their lignin and phenolic compounds. The results showed that banana leaf fibers were most effective against bacteria, producing average zones of inhibition of 7.67 mm for E. coli and 7.33 mm for S. epidermidis, while stem and peel fibers had minimal antibacterial activity. In the yeast adhesion assay, stem fibers retained the most cells, averaging 211 per image compared to 438 for leaf and 965 for peel, demonstrating strong scaffold potential. These findings indicate that banana leaf fibers are most effective for antibacterial purposes, while stem fibers are ideal as natural scaffolds. This study shows that different parts of the banana plant can be repurposed into functional biomaterials, offering low-cost, sustainable alternatives for biomedical applications.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Microbiology (Junior Division) · Entry J-16-04

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