Plastic waste is a huge issue we face today. But, scientists are trying their best to find ways to ensure that we can reuse plastic effectively and stop plastic pollution.

One new use they have come up with is to make vanilla flavour! Generally, the vanilla flavour is extracted from a special kind of orchid. However, today, most of the vanilla flavour we eat is made in chemical laboratories.

Now, scientists have found a way to convert plastic waste into vanilla flavouring using special bacteria.

How did they do this?

The compound (chemical) that carries most of the smell and taste of vanilla is called vanillin.

Plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate can be broken down into terephthalic acid. Terephthalic acid and vanillin are similar in composition.

And so, in the new study, two scientists genetically engineered E. coli bacteria to convert terephthalic acid into vanillin. They kept the bacteria with terephthalic acid for about a day and found that about 70% of the acid had converted into vanillin.

Today, vanillin is highly in demand in food, cosmetics and medicines. On the other hand, about 1 million plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world. So, this new discovery could be good for both the supply of vanilla as well as stopping plastic pollution.

 

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