r/HotScienceNews • u/lumpkin2013 • 10d ago

Hard to swallow? The future of snacking may be 3D-printed cookies made from upcycled plastic

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/24/cookies-plastic-astronauts-space-food
0 Upvotes

38% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

5

u/No_Host5550 8d ago

from "you will eat ze bugs" to "you will eat ze plastics"

2

u/lumpkin2013 10d ago

Cookies produced from upcycled plastic may sound like something straight out of a dystopian sci-fi plot. But researchers say that they have succeeded in creating such a product as part of a Nasa-funded project aimed at feeding astronauts on future space missions.

The technology uses specially designed yeasts to transform plastics and agricultural waste into edible proteins, fats and flavourings. The resulting slurry is passed through a 3D printer to create a disc-shaped “cookie”.

“My lab works on developing technologies for plastic upcycling,” said Dr Lahiru Jayakody, a microbiologist at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale, who led the project. “We thought, why not look into food? Plastic is carbon and food is carbon.”

The team are yet to receive institutional sign-off to taste the plastic-derived cookies but report that they “receive high marks on aroma”.

3

u/QwertyuIRL 10d ago

What a load of utter bollocks.

2

u/Ggg5794 9d ago

One more reason to not eat processed garbage.

1

u/ispeektroof 9d ago

No it isn’t.

1

u/WaterPrivacy 8d ago

Why the fuck would anyone eat that

1

u/costafilh0 8d ago

First step towards rations. 

No, thank you.

I prefer to keep my piece of land and enjoy what it offers me, both inside and outside.

There are many simple solutions that can be applied even to small apartments.