Plastic-eating "Pac-Man" enzyme also breaks down penicillin

Biologists at the University of Konstanz discovered an enzyme that digests certain polyesters and biodegradable plastics and can also break down penicillin. Bioplastics fully degraded in soil within 250–330 days, while HDPE showed almost no decomposition.

• The enzyme digests long-chain aliphatic polyesters and penicillin
• LCAP, PHBV and PCL bioplastics degraded within 250–330 days
• Cellulose broke down in about 80 days, HDPE barely degraded
• Its wide active site earned it the nickname "Pac-Man enzyme"