After many years, astronauts are about to eat noodles

Scientists have developed a new packaging method that allows for extended shelf life of food up to three times the normal shelf life.

According to The Next Web, the flight time from Earth to Mars is about 7-9 months. Not to mention the return road and the orbital difference between the two places.

The Hohmann orbit diagram estimates the shortest round trip from Earth to Mars to last about 26 months. So the astronauts will have to spend nearly 3 years on the spacecraft. Food for them is a matter of concern right now.

Not many foods were chosen for the plan to go into space. NASA requires that astronauts' food be at least 5 years old. This means that most organic foods are off the list.

New preservation method to keep food fresh for 3 years.(Photo: TNW).

According to a team of scientists at the University of Washington, plastic packaging can currently only keep food safe for a year. The new packaging method allows a shelf life of up to 3 years but the food is still delicious.

"We need a better packaging to prevent food from oxidizing, providing a longer shelf life than paper and plastic bags , " said Shyam Sablani, research leader . developing a product could go to Mars, but this technology is also beneficial to users on Earth. "

Scientists use macaroni and cheese, two foods favored by the US expeditionary force, to test. They also asked soldiers to try the product after preserving to get practical feedback.

The authors did not wait until 3-5 years to check the research results. They create an environment that promotes similar oxidation over a long period. Food bags are placed in a humid cabinet with a temperature of approximately 37.8 degrees Celsius.

According to an earlier study, food stored under such conditions for 5.5 months is equivalent to 2.5 years in a normal environment with a temperature of about 23 degrees C. If it rises to 40 degrees C, just 3.6 months oxidation has been the same to 4.5 years in a 20 degree C environment.

The process of food packaging goes through many different stages. They are first sterilized by heat on a microwave. The packaging must be made from plastic because metal and both glass are too heavy for military or space use.

The scientists added a layer of metal oxide to the surface of the plastic and used an organic layer of oxide to coat it to handle the micro-cracks. Plastic packaging is divided into several layers with layers only a few microns thin. Each class has its own role.

The authors succeeded in preserving macaroni and cheese under simulated conditions that lasted 3 years at room temperature. This result nearly reaches NASA's 5-year requirement.

The study was published in the journal Food and Bioprocess Technology, term 12, released in mid-July 2019.