Researchers at Southern Illinois University, with NASA support, engineered yeast to convert PET plastic and agricultural waste into edible ingredients. The microbes produce proteins, fats, vitamins, and vanilla flavoring from broken-down waste, which are then 3D printed into protein-rich cookies called µBites. The team presented the work at an American Chemical Society meeting. Plastic bottles and corn stalks are processed with a high temperature and pressure method before being fed to engineered yeast. The goal is a circular use of waste carbon that could work where food supply chains are limited, such as deep space missions, submarines, or disaster zones. The researchers also frame it as a response to rising global food demand. Safety testing is still pending. People have only evaluated the cookies by aroma so far, and formal taste tests await institutional approval. The research is funded by NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge and an NSF CAREER grant.
