Southern Illinois University Carbondale makes ubites cookies from PET
Yes, you read that right: researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale have figured out how to make cookies from PET.
They break down PET plastic (the stuff in soda bottles) using hot water, oxygen, and corn stalks to create smaller pieces, then specially programmed yeasts produce proteins, vitamins, and flavorings.
These get mixed with fiber, starch, and sweetener, then 3-D printed into cookie-like shapes called "uBites."
SIU ubites process costs $60/kg
This cookie experiment started as part of NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge to help astronauts eat well on long missions or during disasters.
The team has also managed to create beta-carotene from PET components and vanilla flavoring from plant biomass.
But the process is pricey, about $60 per kilogram, and public acceptance is still up in the air.
As biochemist Lahiru Jayakody put it, "The way to address that, I believe, is by using microbes."
Global food demand is expected to rise 35-56% by the year 2050.