Despite extensive efforts to make astronauts' food palatable, astronauts often report that the food is bland. Why? What can be done?
Researchers in Australia used Virtual Reality to understand why food tastes bland to astronauts. Image Credit: Seamus Daniel, RMIT University. CC BY-SA
But despite these dedicated efforts to provide a variety of quality foods with enjoyable tastes, astronauts regularly report that their food tastes bland in space. “Contextual factors shape the overall food consumption experience,” the authors write in their paper. “Extreme consumption contexts like outer space present logistical, ethical and financial challenges for food sensory evaluation. Yet, these evaluations are necessary as the sensory aspects of palatability and variety enhance psychological and behavioural outcomes in space,” they write.
Scientists have examined these issues before, not only in space but in confined, isolated Antarctic research stations. They’ve found that people in these environments can experience a significant change in their sense of smell. “These findings may hint at the potential impact of such environments on olfactory function,” they write.
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