From plastic bottle to cookie: Scientists 3D-print protein-rich treat
Scientists at Southern Illinois University Carbondale have programmed yeasts to convert plastic and agricultural waste into edible proteins, fats, vitamins and flavoring compounds, creating protein-rich cookies from materials that would otherwise be discarded, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to an EurekAlert! report, the researchers will present their findings at the American Chemical Society’s Fall 2026 meeting in Chicago, being held from August 23 to 27.
The project, developed as part of a NASA initiative focused on food production for resource-limited environments, uses polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common plastic found in water and soda bottles, along with discarded corn stalks, leaves and other biomass.
The materials are first broken down through oxidative hydrothermal dissolution, which uses water and oxygen at high temperature and pressure to make them accessible to microbes. The resulting compounds are then fed to programmed yeasts, which convert them into food ingredients, including proteins, fats and acids.
The researchers combine these ingredients with fiber, starch and sweetener and use a 3D printer to produce protein-rich cookies called µBites, pronounced “microbites.”
The team says the cookies have been shown to be safe to eat, although taste tests are still awaiting institutional approval. The cookies have so far received high marks for aroma, with most participants saying they would be willing to eat them in resource-limited situations.
Researchers are also working to improve the cookies’ flavor and nutritional value. Engineered baker’s yeast can produce vanillin, the compound responsible for vanilla flavor and aroma, from ferulic acid derived from plant biomass, while another yeast strain can convert ethylene glycol derived from PET into beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.
“We’re using microbes to develop the cookie into a more attractive, consumer-friendly product,” graduate student Sandhya Jayasekara said.
Associate Professor Lahiru Jayakody said the technology could eventually be used not only to address plastic waste and food insecurity on Earth but also in extreme environments such as submarines or even colonies on the Moon or Mars.
“Microbes are very clever. So, we are using their traits to solve the problems we created,” Jayakody said.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that China had successfully conducted its first metal 3D printing experiment in space, marking a major step forward in its in-orbit manufacturing capabilities.
