• Yulex® natural rubber latex meets the critical performance standards for many medical, industrial and military product applications.
• It outperforms synthetic latex products without the risk of Type I latex allergy.
• It is cost-effective, high in performance, and comes from a renewable resource.

Yulex®. The Natural Solution to Latex Allergy

For catheters, medical adhesives, latex wound care products, surgical gloves, examination gloves, dental dams, and condoms safe for allergy-prone health care workers, patients, and consumers, Yulex has developed Yulex® latex .

Dr. Katrina Cornish examines Guayule seedlings while at USDA Yulex® latex meets cost and performance criteria as an alterative to synthetics and does not contain the tropical proteins that cause potentially life-threatening reactions in people with Type 1 latex allergy. Yulex® latex is a plant-based latex that studies have shown is safe for Type 1 latex allergy sufferers. For allergic medical workers on the job, patients during medical procedures, and surgeons seeking a safe but high performance material for the O/R, Yulex® latex provides a safe, high-quality natural alternative. Yulex® Latex Performs Safely and Reliably Thorough research has been conducted to evaluate its properties against those of tropical latex and its synthetic alternatives. The results indicate that Yulex® latex retains the same high quality latex properties as natural latex derived from the Brazilian rubber tree, while being devoid of the dangerous proteins that cause Type I latex allergy. Yulex® latex is of high molecular weight, comparable to tropical latex. It contains very little protein, ranging from 0.2 to 2% of the protein levels of tropical latex.

In addition to their low levels, Guayule proteins do not cross-react with the antibodies to tropical proteins in animal and human trials. These include Dr. H's blood test, western blot analysis, ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), skin-prick tests, and in vitro RAST (radioallergosorbent assay) assays. Yulex® condoms and gloves are proven as effective barriers to human viruses and can be stored for years without deterioration of their barrier capabilities. Yulex® films show slightly higher tensile strength than tropical natural latex films or nitrile synthetic latex films and considerably higher strength than enzymatically deproteinized tropical latex.

The latest generation of Yulex® films exceed ASTM standards for surgical gloves and are 33% stronger than synthetic polyisoprene latex films.

Other Co-Products Made from Guayule

Yulex Biorefinery

While the production of Yulex® latex alone provides a profitable manufacturing operation, the addition of cost competitive co-products derived from the Guayule plant significantly expands the market opportunities. Plans for a Yulex Biorefinery will enable virtually all of the Guayule plant to be utilized for specialty chemicals and materials.

Resins Ideal for Natural Pesticides & Adhesives

Guayule plant resins have organic anti-termitic, pesticidal properties; are an effective natural preservative for wooden buildings, boats, decks and outdoor furniture; and contain natural adhesive properties especially suited for solventless adhesives used for pressure sensitive, laminating and UV initiated applications.

Fibers: Ideal for Biocomposites, Chemicals and Materials

By-products of Guayule plant fibers have applications as platform chemicals, biofuels, and biocomposites. A biocomposite particle board of recycled plastic and Guayule resin tested by USDA researchers resisted attack by termites and destructive wood-rot microbes. Termites and wood rot cause an estimated $7 billion worth of damage in the U.S. every year.

The Yulex Biorefinery will have the capability to convert the agricultural residues (cellulose) to ethanol and other critical fuel additives on a cost-effective basis. With nearly all ethanol consumed in the U.S. supplied by the cornbelt, ethanol from Guayule cellulose and hemi-cellulose is a cost-effective source for this fuel additive for western refiners.

Cellulosic feedstocks derived from Guayule used for biofuel production