NASA Food Systems;

Past, Present and Future

Michele Perchonok, Ph.D.

Advanced Food System Lead/JSC

Mercury (1961 – 1963) Objective

To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth To investigate man’s ability to function in space To recover both man and spacecraft safely

Food System Highly engineered foods (Meal in a Pill) Tube food (not seen or smelled/ unacceptable texture) Cubes: (no change in flavor, texture: unlike original product) No crumbs

Gemini (1965 – 1966) Objective

To subject men and equipment to space flight up to 2 weeks in duration

Food System Highly engineered foods (Meal in a Pill) More variety

Shrimp cocktail Chicken and vegetables Butterscotch pudding Applesauce

Apollo (1968 – 1972) Objective

To land Americans on the Moon and return them safely to Earth Food System

Improved packaging with improved quality Intermediate Moisture Food/ Natural Form

Ready-to Eat Thermostabilized: flexible packages,

aluminum cans First to use “spoon bowl” – container that is

opened and contents eaten with a spoon

Skylab (1973 – 1974) First space station with a laboratory

Food stored at time of initial launch; no chance for resupply

Ready to eat, rehydratable foods Precooked, thermally stabilized or fresh food Beverages: collapsible plastic

accordion-like dispensers Pre-cooked or fresh food kept frozen

Shuttle/Mir (1995-1998)

Typical Russian Space Menu Plan 6 Day cycle, 4 meals per day Half Russian, half U.S. meals Shuttle food warmer used to heat U.S.

food Shuttle drinking water containers used U.S. condiments Delivered to Mir by Shuttle and Progress 9 month shelf life

Shuttle (1981-present)International Space Station

(2000 – present)

Foods are individually packaged All foods are preprocessed (except

fresh foods) Thermostabilized Dehydrated/Freeze dried Intermediate moisture Natural form Irradiated

Physiological Effects Of Spaceflight

Weight loss

Fluid shift

Dehydration

Constipation

Electrolyte imbalance

Calcium loss

Potassium loss

Decreased red blood cell mass

Space motion sickness

RemoteEnvironment

MissionDuration

Altered nutrientbioavailability

Inadequate foodintake

Microbial and chemicalcontamination of food

Technicallimitations of food

preservation

Inadequatefood system

Psychologicalissues

Failure ofcountermeasures

Radiation

Malnutrition

Unsafe food

Humanperformance

failure

Bone loss

Muscle wasting

Renal stone risk

Carcinogenesis

Infectious disease

Hematologicalchanges

DEATH

Incapacitation

Delayed returnto flight status

Inability torehabilitate

Loss of flightstatus

Microgravity

FOOD AND NUTRITION

Initiating Events Risk Factors Outcomes Consequences Furtherconsequences

Adequatenutritional

requirementsHazardAnalysisCriticalControlPointsplan

Development ofextended shelf-

life food

Specializedfood

packagingUnderstanding

the psychologicalbenefits of food

Pre-, in- and post-flight nutritional

assessment

Advanced Food System The Advanced Food System is responsible for developing a food

system for the crew of a long duration mission that is safe, nutritious, and acceptable

The Advanced Food System will initially emphasize technologies for space vehicle applications (ISS and Shuttle) then slowly increase focus on technologies toward tasks that support exploration.

Assumption: There are psychological benefits of the food system and plants

Socialization during mealtimes Food quality, variety and acceptability are important and encourage

eating a well-balanced diet. Highly acceptable food is a familiar element in an unfamiliar and hostile environment, especially important as mission durations increase.

HYPOGRAVITY (1/6 Earth) Planetary food system Prepackaged food system Hydroponic crop processing Bioregeneration of oxygen and carbon dioxide

MARS SURFACEMICROGRAVITYPrepackaged food system

EARTH

POTATOSWEET

POTATO

SOYBEANS PEANUTRICE

DRYBEAN

STORED FOOD SYSTEM

PLANETARYFOOD

SYSTEM

PLANETARYFOOD

SYSTEM

Food ProcessingTechnology

Food ProcessingTechnology

Crops Grownin Chambers CONSTRAINTS:

• Crew time• Shelf life• Safety• Storage

Food Broughton Board

Food Broughton Board

VEHICLESTORED FOOD

SYSTEM

VEHICLESTORED FOOD

SYSTEM

BASELINE MENUBASELINE MENU

Test Menu in ControlledEnvironment

Test Menu in ControlledEnvironment

Detailed Nutritional AnalysisDetailed Nutritional Analysis

Preliminary Menu DesignPreliminary Menu Design

Food ListFood List

Re-evaluate Crop Listand//or Develop

AdditionalShelf-stable Foods

Variety

Nutrition Palatabilityof Food

Crop Availability

breadpastacereal

soymilktofutempeh

oilspread

WHEAT

CONSTRAINTS:• Multipurpose equipment• Automated equipment• Safety• Power• Size• Water use• Air contaminants• Waste generated• Noise

QUANTITATE:• Waste generated• Intake• Preparation/processing

time• Acceptability

SaladCrops

Shelf-lifeextension

Assessment ofcurrent

preservationtechniques

Does not meetnutritional requirements

Not acceptable

Meets nutritional requirements

Acceptable

tomatocarrotchard

spinachcabbage

onionlettuceradish

PackagingNew Technologies

Additives

Implementation Timeline for Food System

STORED FOOD SYSTEM

VEGETABLES

Food System - Safety Foods will be free of microbial contamination Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)

will be done on all processes to maintain safety Microbial growth can affect:

Food safety Food acceptability

Flavor Appearance including color Texture

Food System - Nutrition

Menus must provide adequate nutrition for long duration missions

Minimum of 100% of the United States Recommended Daily Intake (USRDI)

Adjustments to be made to compensate for affects from long duration space mission Higher calcium Lower iron Lower sodium TBD

Food System - Acceptability

Acceptability of food of prime importance in long duration missions

Crew often do not eat as much on space missions Decreased energy intake may compromise performance

Need large variety of foods to avoid menu fatigue

Provides opportunity for socialization Decreases stress “More like home”

Microgravity requires use of prepackaged food system Prepackaged food items will use similar preservation

methods to Shuttle and ISS Thermal Processing, Freeze Drying, Irradiation, Intermediate

moisture foods, Natural form foods Other preservation methods such as non-thermal processing

will be evaluated (pulsed electric field, ultra-high hydrostatic pressure)

Minimize mass and volume of total prepackaged food system

Transit Food System

Transit Food System - Constraints

Shelf life of 3 – 5 years Safe Nutritional Acceptable

Packaging Compatible with processing and storage conditions Volume and mass constraints Consider bio-degradable, compactable, reusable

packaging to minimize solid processing

Selected Crops

Other crops Potato Sweet potato Wheat Soybeans Peanut Rice Dried beans

NEED PROCESSING

Salad Crops Tomato Carrot Spinach Cabbage Green Onion Lettuce Radish Herbs Bell Pepper Strawberry

CAN BE USED FRESH

Crops Sample Crop Foods Potato Potato, starch, sweet potato

syrup Wheat Wheat flour, seitan, starch Soybean Soy flour, tofu, soymilk, whey,

meat analogs, okara, Rice Rice, rice milk, rice flour Tomato Tomato, sauce, juice Peanut Peanut butter, oil, meat analogs

Potential Menu Items

CROPS CREW MEALS

ADVANCEDFOOD

Nutrition

High food quality

Appropriate quantities

of food

Food safety Variedchoices

Crop variation,harvest to harvest

plant to plant, ingredient functionality

Specific cropcultivars

Crop storageand shelf life

Crop availabilitywith quantity and frequency

The food system must balance the constraints of the crop varieties and the requirements of making the crew meals.

harvest

seeds

growth

mill

bread

WHEAT

flour

extruderextruder

pastasnacks

cerealstarch/gluten

separator

gluten

starch

seiten

growth seeds

+ water

Soy milk

Soy

harvest

Tofu + Whey

Okara

Tempeh

fiber

Rizopus oligosporus

Water and Energy Limitations Limited water for processing and cleaning - consider

recycling of water during processing to capture lost nutrients

Restricted power for food processing and cleaning

Waste and Contamination Concerns Waste water processing time Restricted power Competitive bacterial contamination of water processing

system

Food Processing Equipment Constraints

Time Constraints Maximize exploration time Minimize daily task time Ease of cleaning Ease of assembly/disassembly

Automation Constraints Saves time Technologically intensive In case of power failure, is there a simple procedure for

manual override?

Crew Involvement Constraints

Menu will incorporate food items produced from processed crops and resupply items

Menu will provide enough variety to prevent “burn-out” Potential preparation equipment includes

Bread maker Blender/food processor Pasta maker Rice cooker

Juicer/pulper Dryer/oven

Food Preparation - Galley

Life Support Systems Air Revitalization Water Recovery Thermal Control Biomass Production

Solid Waste Management

Medical Operations Nutrition Human Factors Psychosocial Habitability

System Integration is very important

Current Projects

Shelf Life Determination There is a need for the prepackaged food system to have a

shelf life of 3 – 5 years; safety, nutrition, acceptability Challenge: Commercial food items don’t require a shelf life

of 3 – 5 years Challenge: Packaging that has minimal mass and

maximum barrier properties Challenge: Variety is important; there is a need for a large

number of food items Challenge: There is a need for food items with high

acceptability

Salad Crop Handling Procedures

Evaluate chamber grown vegetables for acceptability, texture, color Lettuce Tomatoes Spinach Bok Choy Carrots

Develop HACCP procedures including sanitation Challenge: Quality and yield will vary from crop to

crop. How can menus and daily nutrition intakes be planned?

Bulk Ingredient Menu Development

It may be possible to carry to the surface staple bulk ingredients with a shelf life of 3 – 5 years

Will be able to compare the cost of bulk ingredients vs. growing crops

Challenge: Determine yield of processed ingredients using miniaturized equipment

High Protein Bread

Functional properties of the wheat is strongly dependent on its composition(protein, fat, and moisture) and thechemical properties of these macronutrients

Formula includes flour (including bran), salt, yeast, sugar, oil, and water. No additives were included to minimize resupply

Challenge: Whole wheat flour is more difficult to work with. Need to know composition of wheat prior to processing

Challenge: Need to incorporate processing by-products into bread formula

Challenge: Small variation in ingredient functionality can cause failure in delivery of acceptable food products

Soymilk, Tofu, Okara, and Whey (STOW) Processor

Properties Flexible in processing methods and types of end products (can

produce firm, extra-firm, soft, tofu styles, okara, soymilk) Automated with manual over-ride Easily modifiable design

Challenges High water use and waste water generation and power consumption Cleaning & sanitizing Labor & crew time Storage and footprint By-product yields

STOW Processor

Supporting Research &Technology Development

External University Research ALS NSCORT – Purdue University, Alabama A&M,

Howard University Tuskegee University

Physical, sensory and chemical attributes of the glucose syrup, peanut protein meat analog, ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, and the sweet potato drink

Characterization and quantification of residual volatiles generated during extrusion

Shelf-life studies of developed products, using the edible peanut protein film

Food Technology Commercial Space Center at ISU

Supporting Research &Technology Development

Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I – 6 month, high risk

Biodegradable Nanocomposites for Advanced Packaging

Fortification of Shelf Stable Formulated Foods with Antioxidants

Phase II – 3 years, potential for commercialization

New High-Barrier Polymer Nanocomposite Food Packaging Enables 5-Year Shelf-Life

Multifunctional Sanitation Method for Food Processing

NASA Research Announcement (NRA)

Reheating and Sterilization Technology for Food, Waste and Water

A dual use package will be developed that incorporates the technology of ohmic heating. Ohmic heating can provide a dual function of food reheating and waste containment and sterilization.

A Multipurpose Fruit and Vegetable Processing System for Advanced Life Support

A multipurpose fruit and vegetable processor will be designed and constructed for use under hypogravity conditions. The processor, with interchangeable parts, but using same power source and controls, will be useful in processing a variety of fruits and vegetables being proposed for the Advanced Life Support.

Website

www.advlifesupport.jsc.nasa.gov