Southern Illinois Scientists Just Made a Cookie From Plastic

I've written about some unusual things happening around the Tri-State, but "scientists are making cookies from plastic bottles" is definitely a first.

And yes, that is essentially what researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are doing.

A team of scientists in Southern Illinois is developing a NASA-backed process that uses specially engineered yeast to transform plastic and agricultural waste into ingredients that could eventually be used to make food.

The researchers have even used those ingredients to create a 3D-printable, high-protein snack they call µBites, or "microbites."

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How Do You Turn a Plastic Bottle Into Food?

The project focuses on polyethylene terephthalate, better known as PET, the type of plastic commonly used to make bottles.

According to Popular Science, researchers first break down PET plastics, corn stalks, and other waste materials using a process called oxidative hydrothermal dissolution.

Essentially, extremely hot water and oxygen break the material into much smaller compounds.

That's when the yeast comes in

Researchers have reprogrammed different types of yeast, including varieties commonly associated with baking, to consume compounds found in broken-down plastic and agricultural waste. The yeast then produces useful food components including proteins, fats, and acids.

Those ingredients can be combined with things like starch and sweetener to create a paste suitable for 3D printing.

And that's how a plastic bottle eventually becomes something resembling a cookie.

But Has Anyone Actually Eaten the Plastic Cookie?

Not yet.

That's an important distinction, too.

The researchers say the underlying science indicates the µBites should be safe to eat, and the experimental treats reportedly scored well when their aroma was evaluated. However, researchers are still waiting for institutional approval before anyone actually conducts a taste test.

The SIU Team is also exploring ways to use yeast to transform other waste materials into useful food ingredients, including vanilla flavoring and beta-carotene, which can provide vitamin A.

Why Is NASA Interested in Plastic Cookies?

This isn't just an experiment to see whether scientists can turn trash into food.

The research received support through NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge, with potential applications in places where food and other resources are extremely limited.

That could eventually include submarines or long-duration space missions, where being able to transform waste into something useful could be incredibly valuable.

There may also be applications much closer to home, too. Researchers point to estimates suggesting worldwide demand for food could increase dramatically by 2050, making alternative ways of producing food increasingly more important.

So, would you eat a cookie that started its life as a plastic bottle?

Personally, I'm going to need the scientists to taste it first.