Sap to Plastic ?

This is interesting....

Scientists have discovered that an obscure type of bacteria can turn maple syrup into natural polymers that can be used to make biogradable plastic-like materials.

It turns out that a form of bacteria called alcaligenes latus also has a sweet tooth, and behaves particularly ravenously when exposed to maple sap and syrup.

NRC researchers found that the bacteria not only thrive when added to maple syrup, but also transform the sugars in the sap into a family of natural polymers that can be used to make plastic-like materials that are biodegradable – everything from "green" food packaging to drug-delivery films that dissolve harmlessly in the body.

"We're not talking about plastic to replace the petroleum industry, we're talking about biopolymers with unique applications in the food and medical industry," says Jalal Hawari, a senior researcher at the NRC's Biotechnology Research Institute.

"In eastern Ontario, if you looked around for places that have natural sugar maples, there's plenty of untapped capacity," says Stephen Page, a senior market development officer for Agri-Canada.