Project Title:

Use of Intermediate Foods to Reduce Storage Needs and Packaging Waste

Food and AgroSystems, Inc.
P.O. Box 62185
Sunnyvale, CA 94088

93-1  12.11   8450  C       AMOUNT REQUESTED $69,964

Use of Intermediate Foods to Reduce Storage Needs and Packaging Waste

Abstract:

Efficient use of storage aboard space vehicles and manned bases
will grow in importance as mission duration is extended and
resupply becomes necessary. Foods, prepared in individual portion-
packs, convenient for short duration missions, may be a
disadvantage for longer missions because of storage space taken up
by extra packaging, and packaging waste after the food is consumed.
This project would develop and investigate the technical
feasibility of concepts aimed at reducing the amount of packaging
to provide more food storage. These concepts focus on using
versatile food intermediate products in bulk, resealable and/or
edible packaging. Intermediate products would be removed as needed,
and the package resealed. Phase I would select foods typical of the
Space Station/FASI-developed CELSS menus to demonstrate the
concept. Selected foods might include; a casserole, bread, a pasta
dish, and a vegetable dish. Intermediates for these might include:
compressed freeze-dried vegetables, wheatberries, dry noodles,
dried nonfat milk solids, sugar, salt, and yeast. While personnel
involvement in food preparation could increase with this approach,
this should be more than offset by cost savings resulting from
reductions in the number of resupply missions needed otherwise.

Unique, partially processed intermediates could be of great
interest to food service-related industry, including: air lines,
hospitals, military feeding, etc. Intermediate processing systems
capable of being automated would be of great interest to the
vending industry. Other opportunities could exist in disaster
relief and shelter ration manufacture as well as school lunch
production.

FOOD, INTERMEDIATE, STABLE, STORAGE, CONCENTRATE, PACKAGING,
REDUCTION, VERSATILE