Could This Cookie Made From Waste and Plastic Help Food Crisis?
The process converts more than 50% of waste carbon into food ingredients and is designed for use in resource-limited settings, researchers said.
- On Monday, Southern Illinois University researchers presented a process at the American Chemical Society meeting in Chicago for converting plastic and crop waste into 3D-printed cookies called 'Bites.'
- Originating from NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge, the project addresses plastic pollution while tackling projected global food demand increases of 35% to 56% by 2050.
- The team employs oxidative hydrothermal dissolution to break waste into carbon building blocks, which reprogrammed yeasts then convert into proteins and flavorings before 3D printing.
- Microbiologist Lahiru Jayakody noted the team is conducting simulated digestive studies and awaiting institutional approval before beginning human taste tests.
- Future iterations aim to achieve nearly 100 percent carbon conversion efficiency, with potential applications for meat and milk alternatives in space or disaster relief environments.
68 Articles
68 Articles
Scientists made edible cookies out of plastic
Scientists have transformed PET plastic into nutritious edible cookies, an innovation that could help address both pollution and hunger in one fell swoop. That is, if people can accept the idea of eating it.Dubbed "µBites" (pronounced "microbites"), the cookies are made using yeasts that have been programmed to turn plastic into edible protein. Sandhya Jayasekara, a Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate research assistant, presented t…
Discarded plastic bottles for dinner: Waste turns into edible protein snacks
Researchers from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, led by Lahiru Jayakody, have developed a method to produce edible protein cookies using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from plastic bottles and agricultural waste. The process combines chemical polymer degradation with a consortium of genetically modified yeasts to transform waste into food ingredients. The results were presented at the American Chemical Society meeting in Chicago. The …
Your Future Cookies Could Be Made from Upcycled Plastic Bottles
4 Mins Read Scientists working on a NASA-funded project have programmed yeast to convert plastic and plant waste into edible, protein-rich snacks like cookies, which could sustain life on deep-space missions and in disaster zones. You might be wary of microplastics in your food, but a team of researchers in the US have deliberately used plastic to make new food that could have significant implications for food security and space exploration. In …
Scientists turned plastic bottles and corn waste into protein-rich cookies; the food could help tackle hunger problem and also feed space crews
Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are developing protein-rich cookies made using plastic waste and agricultural waste. Called µBites, the cookies use PET plastic from bottles and discarded corn stalks and leaves. Programmed yeasts convert processed waste into proteins, fats, acids and flavouring molecules. The NASA-linked project is aimed at developing food for resource-limited environments, including future deep-space missi…
These Microbes Could Turn Plastic and Plant Waste into Ingredients for Protein-Rich Cookies
Learn how microbes can be used to produce edible ingredients from plastic and biomaterial waste, a clever upcycling strategy that could be used in extreme environments and deep-space missions.
What if plastic could end up on our table? Not directly, of course, but after being transformed by microorganisms into new food ingredients. It is the path explored by researchers at Southern Illinois University of Carbondale, who have programmed some yeasts, including that of beer, to convert plastic and agricultural waste into proteins, fats, vitamins [...] The article From plastic to biscuits: yeasts that transform waste into food. The study …
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