nasa food systems; past, present and future michele perchonok, ph.d. advanced food system lead/jsc
TRANSCRIPT
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