Scientists turn plastic bottles into protein-rich cookies

Discarded waste products are processed into a slurry and fed to a genetically engineered yeast, which produces nutrients Scientists at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU) have developed a way to make 3D-printed cookies using genetically engineered yeast to produce protein and nutrients from plastic and agricultural waste.The project aims to tackle two of the planet’s crises: plastic waste accumulation and food insecurity.The team first set out to develop ways to make use of waste plastics, Lahiru Jayakody, an associate professor of microbiology at Southern Illinois University said in an interview with the American Chemical Society (ACS) published on Monday.“We thought, why not focus on making food? Because plastic is carbon and food is carbon,” he said.The process starts by breaking down plastic and plant waste with water and oxygen under high temperature and pressure. Genetically engineered yeasts then consume the resulting compounds and produce proteins, fats, and acids. With the addition of fiber, starch, and sweetener, the resulting mix is fed into a 3D printer which molds the paste into any desired shape.With this technology, the scientists created small protein-rich...