Food for the final frontier: micro-encapsulation of essential nutrients to enable long-duration space exploration

目前宇航员使用的食物系统与长期探索任务（如5-7年的火星使命）不兼容。这个问题的一个主要因素是脂质容易发生降解过程，产生异味和气味（酸败），最终使食品不安全食用。此外，许多必需营养素（人体无法制造），如omega-3和omega-6脂肪酸，以及维生素A，E和K被破坏。保护这些必需营养素的一种方法是通过使用封装将营养素嵌入另一种更惰性的材料中，作为屏障。这些封装材料通常形成为干燥粉末，这增加了保质期，并使其易于掺入粉末状饮料或酱料混合物中。然而，屏障材料会降低我们身体吸收营养物质的能力。在这项研究中，我们将开发新的封装方法，使用天然成分，提供多年的保质期，同时保持高度的消化率。

The current food system used by astronauts is not compatible with long-duration exploration missions such as a 5-7 year mission to Mars. A major element of this problem is that lipids are prone to degradation processes that produce off flavors and odors (rancidity) and eventually render the food unsafe to eat. In addition, many essential nutrients (that cannot be manufactured by the human body) such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and vitamins A, E, and K are destroyed. One way to protect these essential nutrients is through the use of encapsulation to embed the nutrients in another, more inert, material that acts as a barrier. These encapsulated materials are often formed as a dried powder, which increases the shelf life and makes them easily incorporated into powdered beverages or sauce mixes. However, the barrier materials can reduce the ability of our bodies to adsorb the nutrients. In this research we will develop novel encapsulation methods, using natural ingredients, to provide multi-year shelf-life while also maintaining a high degree of digestibility.