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A team of scientists from Washington State University has developed a unique packaging method that can triple the shelf life of ready-to-eat macaroni and cheese. We now know what is on the menu of the trip to Mars.
According to our current best estimates, the trip to Mars will only take seven to nine months. It's not that bad, but astronauts will probably want to come back. And they must also take into account that Earth and Mars have two different orbits. This means that the shortest route (in accordance with the Hohmann transfer plan) to Mars occurs only once every 26 months. Astronauts could be more than three years away from a livable environment, a person tends to be hungry at that time.
Unfortunately, there are not many food products released. For starters, NASA requires food to have a shelf life of five years before it can be considered for the program. This means that most products packaged in non-metallic containers are not on the list.
According to a press release from Washington State University, the current plastic packaging preserves food safety for a year. The research team's method took this period to three years, with anecdotal evidence indicating that it remains as tasty as the day of its packaging.
Principal Investigator Shyam Sablani said:
We need a better barrier to keep oxygen away from food and ensure a longer shelf life, comparable to that of aluminum and plastic laminate pouches. We have always thought about developing a product that can go to Mars, but with technology that can also benefit consumers here on Earth.
The university research team also thought of the US military when it came up with the packaging. The use of macaroni and ready-to-eat cheeses as an experimental subject reflects foods similar to those used by the armed forces under the name of MRE. Finally, the US military will test rations of the university team in the field, where scientists hope to gain valuable information about the real world.
According to the researchers' journal, they do not wait for the sauce to be tested every three to five years. They have created a kind of hotbox for mac n 'cheese that ages it. They tested this theory using a color-based measurement system including mashed potatoes:
The treated sachets were stored in a closed incubator at a temperature above 37.8 ± 0.2 ° C for the accelerated shelf life study. According to Zhang et al. (2016b), the kinetics of the color-based model of potato mash gave a Q10 value of between 2.85 and 3.15 for high-barrier polymer packaging. This shelf life prediction model predicts that 5.5 months of shelf life for mashed potatoes at 37 ° C equals 2.5 years at 23 ° C. If Q10 = 3, 6 months at 40 ° C equivalent to 4.5 years at 20 ° C.
This means that they have managed to keep macaroni and cheese fresh and tasty under conditions that simulate more than three years of storage at room temperature, and that they have been looking at the five years of ## 147 ## NASA requirement.
Would you eat mac cheese for three years if you could be among the first humans to set foot on another planet? Let us know in the comments. I put my hand for tacos – tacos from the space.
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