{"rewrite":{"id":"r_d6323826cb005c4157ee02b9","clusterId":"c_acfd7de29e49d907d1147aa8","slug":"plastic-bottles-become-protein-rich-cookies-in-new-bites-research","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Plastic Bottles Become Protein-Rich Cookies in New μBites Research","summary":"A Southern Illinois University Carbondale research team has created μBites, a protein-rich cookie made from plastic waste. The cookie starts as PET plastic bottles, which are broken down by a process called oxidative hydrothermal dissolution, then fed to engineered yeast that rebuilds the material into food ingredients. The team developed it for NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge and presented the work at the American Chemical Society Fall 2026 meeting.","whyItMatters":"The research reframes plastic waste not as a disposal problem but as a carbon source for food production, targeting projected global food demand increases by 2050.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe cookie begins as a PET plastic bottle, the material used for most beverage containers. A geology professor at the university, Ken Anderson, devised the breakdown method called oxidative hydrothermal dissolution, which uses water and oxygen under high temperature and pressure to reduce the plastic into fragments that microorganisms can consume.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAssociate Professor Rahul Jayakody and graduate student Sandhya Jayasekara then fed those fragments to various yeasts, including genetically modified baker\u0026#39;s yeast, which rebuilt them into proteins. Dietary fiber, starch, and sweeteners were added, and the final mixture was shaped with a 3D printer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaste testing is still pending approval, though aroma tests earned high ratings and most participants said they would eat the cookies in a resource-limited environment. The team aims to eventually produce all main ingredients using microorganisms.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale made a protein-rich cookie called μBites that starts as a plastic bottle. Yeast rebuilds the carbon into food. Taste testing is still pending approval.","twitterPost":"A research team made μBites, a protein-rich cookie that starts life as a PET plastic bottle. Yeast converts the carbon into food ingredients. Developed for NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge, taste approval is still pending.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"A research team at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has created a protein-rich cookie made from plastic waste. The μBites cookie starts as a PET bottle, which is broken down by a hydrothermal process and then rebuilt into food ingredients by engineered yeast. Taste testing is still pending approval, but aroma tests have earned high ratings.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GIGAZINE\",\"url\":\"https://gigazine.net/news/20260826-micro-bites-cookie-from-plastic-bottle/\",\"title\":\"Cookies Made from Plastic Waste: 'μBites'\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4580,"outputTokens":579,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1788009481,"createdAt":"2026-08-29T13:16:25.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-29T13:16:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-29T13:16:25.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_acfd7de29e49d907d1147aa8","canonicalTitle":"プラスチックごみから生み出されたクッキー「μBites」","representativeArticleId":"a_6de0206b5839bca68a114cd6","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"μBites\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-26T09:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-26T09:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-29T13:16:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GIGAZINE","url":"https://gigazine.net/news/20260826-micro-bites-cookie-from-plastic-bottle/","title":"プラスチックごみから生み出されたクッキー「μBites」"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["μBites"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}