Development of Food Items to Meet Air Force Requirements for Space Travel. Techn Docum Rep No. Amrl-tdr-64-38.

Prototype foods to ment the requirements of space travelers have been investigated. These foods were required to be lightweight, easy to prepare, highly nutritious, neither thirst provoking nor gas forming, and low in crude fiber. The food should not exceed a cube size of 1/4 3/8 inch and should, after storage up to 6 months at 40, 70, and 100F,closely resemble the color, flavor, and texture of fresh food. All foods were rated on a 9.0 Hedonic scale. Foods served to a panel at the Armed Forces Food and Container Institute were considered acceptable when they rated 6.0 or above. Freezedehydrated foods were investigated. Certain tubed foods were studied to determine whether they were acceptable after storage up to 15 months at 40, 70, and 100F. Many tubes showed internal swelling. Peaches, apricots, beef and vegetables, and beef and gravy in tubes with Sunex 11-S lining were found to be acceptable in both texture and taste. Studies of Chlorella 71105 were made to modify the flavor, taste, and color and to enhance the nutritive values. Two strong objections to the use of this algae were its dark green color and its bitter gagging aftertaste. Three processes were developed to remove the bitter taste of the algae. However, further studies should be completed to identify the bitter taste. PUBLICATION REVIEW This technical documentary report is approved. U)iMyJiH^6^JjlUL WAYNE H. McCANDLESS Technical Director Biomedical Laboratory