waste-eating mushrooms digest plastic & become ingredient to make chocolate protein bars

chocolate protein bars made of plastic-eating mushrooms

Odette Dierkx transforms waste-eating mushrooms that eat plastic into a powdered ingredient to make chocolate protein bars. Named Plastik Protein, the edible waste-eating product starts its process with mycoremediation, a biological method where fungi digest harmful materials and eat plastic waste such as PET bottles, polyurethane foam, and LDPE plastic bags. They then grow by using plastic as their food source, and during this stage, the mycelium breaks the plastic into smaller, harmless organic compounds. 

Once the plastic is fully digested, the clean mycelium remains, which is then collected, dried, and turned into a protein-rich powder. The dried material contains amino acids, fiber, and nutrients that can be used as food ingredients. The protein powder is later formed into the edible chocolate Plastik Protein Bar, made from the mycelium of the mushrooms that once consumed a specific type of plastic. The concept project by Odette Dierkx trails behind the fungi-made prosthetic organ that extracts and breaks down microplastics inside human bodies.

all images courtesy of Odette Dierkx

fungi convert plastic molecules into carbon-based compounds

The concept product and project uses several species of mushrooms, each matched with a type of plastic: the Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) digests PET plastic, often found in bottles and packaging; the Turkey Tail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor) eats LDPE plastic, commonly used in grocery bags; and the Split Gill Mushroom (Schizophyllum commune) dissolves PUR plastic, used in foams and coatings. These fungi convert plastic molecules into simple carbon-based compounds. After decomposition, they leave no toxic waste behind, and the result is clean, organic matter suitable for cultivation and food production. The chocolate Plastik Protein Bar made from plastic-eating mushrooms is designed as a functional food product. 

Each bar is made from processed mycelium powder mixed with natural flavoring, such as cocoa, nuts, or fruit extract, and its texture is dense and protein-rich, designed to provide energy and nutrients. The bar contains no remaining traces of plastic because the fungi completely digest the material before harvest. The designer’s foundation for the project stems from findings of the Yale University students back in 2011. In their study, they documented how they found out that a fungus called Pestalotiopsis microspora, discovered in the Amazon rainforest, could digest polyurethane plastic even without oxygen using the process known as mycoremediation. From here, Odette Dierkx expands the research by turning the biomaterial into a multipurpose and edible project.

this bar has split gill mushroom, which degrade PUR plastic such as synthetic kitchen sponges

this bar contains oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), which digest PET plastic such as plastic bottles

the edible waste-eating product starts its process with mycoremediation

the pattern on each bar is inspired by the organic lines found on each mushroom

the concept product and project uses several species of mushrooms

each bar is made from processed mycelium powder mixed with natural flavoring

even the wrapper is made of the plastic-eating mushrooms

the bar contains no remaining traces of plastic because the fungi completely digest the material

the fungi convert plastic molecules into simple carbon-based compounds

so far, the project is a conceptual edible product

project info:

name: Plastik Protein

design: Odette Dierkx | @oddddesigns

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: Matthew Burgos | designboom

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