• Question: are polymers edible?

    Asked by Fiza <3 to Thomas, Rose, Anne on 25 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Thomas Farrugia

      Thomas Farrugia answered on 25 Jun 2015:

      Sure thing ! Proteins and complex carbohydrates are proteins, and they’re consumed on a daily basis. Vegetables like potatoes are packed with starch, which is a polymer of glucose, same goes for pasta and bread (which also contains quite a bit of protein to help develop the dough when it is kneaded)

      DNA is another polymers you regularly consume, purely because it is in all the cells that are in the food you eat.

      If you were thinking about plastics, I don’t think so – although if it was possible there’d be much less cleaning up to do!

    • Photo: Rose Simnett

      Rose Simnett answered on 29 Jun 2015:

      Yep, there are loads of edible polymers! Now they even use polymer coatings on fresh fruit to make them last longer.

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