Plastic waste can feed humanity

Designer Katherine Unger from Austria together with Julia Mayzinger and researchers from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands has developed a system that cultivates edible fungi that feed on household plastic. That’s right, you heard right: mushroom eat the plastic, and you eat the mushrooms. A small but very interesting ecosystem.
In 2012, researchers from Yale University have discovered a whole family of fungi (Pestalotiopsis Microspora), which are capable of degrading polyurethane. This gave rise to a number of studies which aims to create environmentally friendly methods of recycling plastic. The results of these investigations prompted the scientists to the idea that if to turn the pollution problem in the solution of the problem with the lack of food?
Plastic waste is quite capable to feed humanity
Katharina Unger is not the first time offers a rather unusual, to say not very pleasant from the aesthetic point of view, solve food shortages in the world. Previously, it offered to humanity to learn to eat the larvae of flies, as you can imagine, much fruit it has not brought. But this time, the idea is really very, very promising.
Mushrooms, eating plastic can actually be a source of food for people. The designer even developed the concept of a small mini-farm, which looks like an ordinary table, inside which the two kinds of mushrooms grow. In order to convert the plastic into an edible product, it is first placed in a “cell activation,” where he is in the process of sterilization with ultraviolet light, and proceeds to step decomposition.
Thereafter, the glass was placed in a plastic “hemisphere growth” in which it is distributed into small round cell made of agar, gelatin material used for the manufacture of culture media. In this material, you can add a variety of flavors, which will certainly affect the taste of the final product. Katarina even developed several conceptual unusual recipes.
Plastic waste is quite capable to feed humanity
The mycelium of the fungus is added to each cell round to it already in the plastic. It was at this point begins active growth of the fungus. Currently, this process takes a few months, and as the power is used entirely biodegradable plastic. But scientists are actively working on the acceleration of the process, as well as on the fact that it was possible to use other types of plastic, too.
This is a very strange process, but the final product looks very appetizing. Imagine lush mushroom with porous texture of bread that tastes like mango, chocolate or carrot. Not as bad as eating maggots, agree?
Of course, despite the fact that the designer herself has tried her grown mushrooms, they still have a lot of scrutiny before scientists can give the green light to this project and allow these mushrooms for consumption. Who knows, maybe in the future we will really eat these amazing mushrooms. Wait and see.