NASA astronauts will soon have the opportunity to enjoy chili in space thanks to an Iowa-based company. Soy Creations, a division of Triple “F”, Inc., has developed for NASA a freeze-dried chili with a meat analogue made from soy protein. The product was approved in December for addition to the astronaut baseline food list by scientists at Johnson Space Center.
Triple “F”, Inc. joined the NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center (FTCSC) at Iowa State University last March as a Corporate Partner and has spent the last year developing soy-based food products suitable for the space program.
Their first product, a freeze-dried chili meets the requirement for the Shuttle and International Space Station food. It has an extended shelf life of one year and is nutritious, palatable, and flavorful.
One of NASA FTCSC’s highest research priorities is to develop savory meals for the International Space Station (ISS).
Astronauts experience a fluid shift during spaceflight that leaves them feeling congested and affects how foods taste, so crewmembers often dose their foods with hot sauce and ketchup to liven up the flavor. Crewmembers also complain that because many products on the ISS menu are dehydrated, they have no texture when they are rehydrated.
In response to this need, Soy Creations set out to create a superior soy-based food that was spicy, palatable when rehydrated, and did not have the beany aftertaste typically associated with soy foods.
In sensory evaluation tests at Johnson Space Center, the freeze-dried chili had a high mouth feel (texture) and flavor rating. One sensory panelist remarked that the chili does not taste like a meatless product.
NASA FTCSC Director Anthony Pometto commented, “I am very excited that the freeze-dried chili has been accepted by NASA. Triple “F” is a leader in improving the flavor of soy-based food products, and their chili will hopefully be the first of many products to be accepted for NASA’s food list.”
The freeze-dried chili is the first product from NASA FTCSC commercial partners to be accepted by NASA.
Triple “F”, Inc.’s soy chili and other soy-based products are produced commercially by Spectrum Foods Inc. and marketed under the Premier Harvest brand name.
Currently, the Premier Harvest line includes ten soy items that are available at grocery stores throughout the nation and online at PremierHarvest.com. The products are available locally at Hy-Vee, Inc. stores.
The NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center was established in 1999 to develop foods and food-processing technologies that enhance space missions and advance commercial food products.
