These Cookies Are 3D-Printed and Made of Recycled Plastic
Would you eat a cookie made from an upcycled water bottle? One group of scientists thinks that at least some people will in the near future. They’ve genetically engineered yeast to transform PET plastic and agricultural waste into a vanilla-flavored protein cookie that they think could be a solution to both plastic pollution and food shortages. Sounds delicious.
The project began as part of NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge — one of the agency’s Centennial Challenges — in which scientists and researchers were tasked with developing new technologies and approaches for the problem of feeding astronauts on long space voyages. For microbiologists at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the solution lay in converting plastic and plant waste into “edible, protein-rich supplements.”
Their concoction — snack-sized morsels called “µBites” (pronounced “microbites”) — didn’t end up winning the Deep Space Food Challenge. The grand prizewent to Interstellar Lab of Merritt Island, Florida,...
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