SIU Scientists Turn PET Plastic into Protein Cookies in 32 Steps
Updated
Updated · Mashable · Aug 25
SIU Scientists Turn PET Plastic into Protein Cookies in 32 Steps
3 articles · Updated · Mashable · Aug 25
Summary
Southern Illinois University researchers unveiled “µBites,” protein-rich cookies made by converting PET plastic and crop waste into edible biomass, at the American Chemical Society’s Fall 2026 meeting.
A 32-step process breaks the material into a carbon-rich liquid, then feeds it to engineered yeasts that produce proteins, fats and acids before the mix is 3D-printed and microwaved into cookies.
The team also engineered yeasts to add vanillin for flavor and beta-carotene for color and vitamin A, but the cookies have not yet been tasted because human taste-test approval is still pending.
PET was chosen partly because it is relatively pure and roughly 60% carbon, fitting the project’s goal of upcycling plastic into food as global food demand is projected to rise 35% to 56% by 2050.
The NASA Deep Space Food Challenge helped spur the work, and researchers say public-ready µBites are still years away as they try to overcome both regulatory hurdles and consumer aversion to plastic-derived food.