Turning Plants Into Starchy Snacks Could Reduce World Hunger, Study Suggests

At a young age, we learn that it's important to know basic survival skills. If you get lost in the forest, it's important to know how to sustain and protect yourself.  Many of us are taught how to make shelter, light a fire and most importantly, what we can and cannot eat. It's imperative to know the difference between berries that are poisonous and those that are edible. Those less versed in survival tactics could find themselves in serious peril, until now. A new study suggests that surviving such circumstances may be easier than ever. Scientists have turned inedible plant cellulose into a delectable treat, allowing humans to munch on, of all things, trees.

Well, perhaps it won't be quite that easy, but scientists at Virginia Tech have found a way to transform cellulose, normally an indigestible polymer, into helpful starch. Plants produce cellulose that forms their cell wall, which we then use as clothing, fuel, paper etc. Plants then also produce starch as their energy source. Certain starches, like those found in potatoes and wheat are also beneficial to humans. The two molecules are chemically similar. Their only difference is a simple hydrogen bond.

Y.H. Percival Zhang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech determined that since cellulose and amylose, a form of edible starch, are both glucose chains, a simple rearrangement of their hydrogen bonds could make the cellulose edible for humans. Through a series of synthetic enzymes used to break down hydrogen bonds in plant material that would not otherwise be used as food, Zhang and his colleagues allowed the cellulose molecules to become amylose.

The result can be used as a source of fiber or even biodegradable packaging. It won't make for the tastiest of treats, but the relatively easy process can easily be performed on a much larger scale. In a time when our planet's resources are dwindling, transforming cellulose, which is the most abundant carbohydrate on the planet, into food could help feed millions of hungry people.

"There is an urgent need to use abundant and renewable nonfood agricultural and forest residues and dedicated bioenergy crops that can grow on marginal land and require low inputs," the study reports.

Add a little flavor, perhaps some jam or nutella, and the tree-snack could change everything.