Would You Eat This Cookie?
Courtesy of Southern Illinois University Carbondale; Photo by Russell Bailey
These 3D-printed cookies, originally designed as part of a NASA project, are made from upcycled plastic.
You wouldn’t eat a plastic cookie, but what about a cookie made with ingredients that used to be plastic? Scientists have found a way to turn upcycled plastic back into food ingredients, which they then 3D-print into “cookies,” a method that could one day feed astronauts in space.
If this sounds like it’s from a science fiction book, just wait, because truth can be stranger than fiction. The project began as a part of NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge, which invites scientists to figure out how to feed astronauts traveling on long space missions. Lahiru Jayakody, a scientist who creates technology to upcycle, or repurpose, plastic, had an idea.
“We thought, why not look into food? Plastic is carbon and food is carbon,” said Jayakody in an interview with The Guardian.
Courtesy of Southern Illinois University Carbondale; Photo by Russell Bailey
Scientist Lahiru Jayakody shows off one of the cookies he helped develop.
Think back to science class, where you will have learned that carbon is a building block of life. Carbon makes up many things on Earth: coal, plastic, and yes, food! Knowing this, Jayakody’s team genetically modified some yeast so that it could digest all the plastic, as well as some agricultural waste. The yeast could then transform the carbon back into edible forms, like proteins, fats, and other nutrients.
The researchers then put the nutrients into a 3D printer, which printed the food into disc, or “cookie,” shapes. Despite the excitement around the new cooking method, a human has yet to taste-test a cookie. “We haven’t eaten them yet because we’re awaiting approval for testing in humans,” said Jayakody.
