NASA-backed scientists turn plastic waste into edible cookies

Scientists have engineered yeast to turn PET plastic and agricultural waste into ingredients for protein-rich, 3D-printed cookies called µBites. Developed partly for NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge, the system can produce proteins, fats, vitamins, and even vanilla flavoring from waste materials. Researchers hope the unusual technology could eventually help address both plastic pollution and food insecurity, while also supplying food in extreme environments such as deep-space missions.

NASA-backed scientists turn plastic waste into edible cookies. NASA-backed scientists turn plastic waste into edible cookies Science News from research organizations NASA-backed scientists turn plastic waste into edible cookies Scientists are engineering yeast to turn plastic waste into protein-rich cookies that could someday feed people on Earth, the Moon, or Mars. By engineering yeast, scientists have developed a system that can transform compounds from plastic and agricultural waste into edible proteins, vitamins, flavorings, and other food ingredients.

The approach could provide a new way to reuse difficult waste while also helping produce food in places where conventional supplies are limited. Potential applications range from disaster zones on Earth to human missions deep into space. The researchers presented their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) during the "Undergraduate and Graduate Research in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology" symposium at McCormick Place.

So, we are using their traits to solve the problems we created." — Lahiru Jayakody Turning Plastic Waste Into Food Plastic pollution and food insecurity are two major global challenges, and researchers at Southern Illinois University (SIU) Carbondale are exploring whether one problem could help address the other.