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Business News/ Science / News/  Scientists turn waste plastic bottles into vanilla flavouring
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Scientists turn waste plastic bottles into vanilla flavouring

Vanillin is responsible for the characteristic taste and smell of vanilla. It comes from the extract of vanilla beans
  • About 85% of vanillin is currently synthesised from chemicals derived from fossil fuels
  • About one million plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world and only 14% gets recycledPremium
    About one million plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world and only 14% gets recycled

    For the first time, scientists have discovered a technique to convert used plastic bottles into vanilla flavouring by using genetically-engineered bacteria.

    Scientists from the University of Edinburgh used an engineered microorganism, Escherichia coli, to help biodegrade polyethylene terephthalate polymer (PET) plastics into vanillin, which is widely used across the food and cosmetic industries.

    The scientists warmed a microbial broth to 37 degrees Celsius for a day, the same conditions as for brewing beer, to upcycle plastic waste into a valuable industrial chemical.

    Vanillin is responsible for the characteristic taste and smell of vanilla. It comes from the extract of vanilla beans.

    The global demand for vanillin is growing. According to theguardian.com, in 2018 the demand for vanillin was 37,000 tonnes, far exceeding the supply from natural vanilla beans. About 85% of vanillin is currently synthesised from chemicals derived from fossil fuels.

    Stephen Wallace, of the University of Edinburgh, who conducted the new work, said this experiment demonstrated that plastic could be used as a new carbon resource from which high-value products can be made.

    According to the daily, about one million plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world and only 14% gets recycled. And those recycle bottles can only be turned into opaque fibres for clothing or carpets.

    Scientists have previously found ways to break down plastic waste using enzymes. In 2018, scientists accidentally created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic bottles, and subsequent work produced a super-enzyme that eats plastic bottles even faster.

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    Published: 16 Jun 2021, 06:29 PM IST
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