(Photo : Photo by Arbendra Pratap)
Bacteria were discovered in rumen fluids, which is the biggest compartment of a ruminant's stomach. Ruminants rely on microorganisms to help break down their coarse plant diet. The researchers hypothesized that some microorganisms in a cow's rumen would be able to digest polyesters.
Cow Diet
(Photo : Pixabay)
Cows eat cutin, a natural polyester generated by plants, as a result of their herbivorous diets. Being a synthetic polyester, PET has a chemical structure comparable to that of this natural material. According to corresponding author Doris Ribitsch, a senior scientist at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, cutin makes up most of the cuticle or waxy outer layer of plant cell walls. Thus, it can be found in abundance in the peels of tomatoes and apples, for example.