Beer, Yogurt and 3D Printers… The future of Mars cuisine.

Beer, Yogurt and 3D Printers… The future of Mars cuisine.

In a not-so-distant future, there may be a very hungry astronaut on Mars who sits down for a hearty breakfast of steak and eggs.  However, no beef, milk or eggs were ever sent to Mars and no cows or chickens even played a part in the meal.  Welcome to the future of sustainable food production – on Mars.

In this future scenario, every molecule of the steak and eggs was produced by a series of self-contained bioreactors on Mars which use specialized yeasts and bacteria modified to produce proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and flavors.  Unlike their more familiar cousins which produce beer and yogurt, these strains make the building blocks of the food to replicate the taste, smell and consistency of every dish in the meal.  The final step in the process takes place in a specially designed 3D food printing kitchen appliance that takes the raw materials from the bio reactors, mixes in the flavors and then prints them out in familiar forms to be cooked and eaten.

Science fiction?  Actually, it is science fact.  Every part of this system exists now in some form of development or production and multiple companies are doing amazing work in turning processes that beer masters and yogurt companies have used for centuries into modern gastronomy delights.

Let’s break down how the beer into steak alchemy will work for future space travelers. 

It’s all about the flavor:  A dash of flavor makes a world of difference as anyone who has ever eaten unflavored tofu or gelatin will tell you.  To that end, Gingo Bioworks, has engineered yeast that produces any flavor desired creating endless possibilities.  The fermentation process works just like in a brewery for beer except this yeast can create custom flavors on demand instead of alcohol.  Yeast is also being used to produce vitamins to ensure the foods are both tasty and nutritious.  For over two years, NASA has been testing an experiment on the International Space Station called “BioNutrients” using yeast to churn out vitamins on demand.  This experiment works by adding water to pre-made production packs and putting them in an incubator.  The yeast does all the work after that.

Space steak & eggs 101:  Solar Foods and  Air Protein have found the key to making a steak without meat.  The process the two companies are using is similar to how yogurt is produced and works by fermenting microbes in a bioreactor and feeding them water and a mixture of gasses (CO2, O2, N2).  This process uses elements that can be found (or produced) on Mars or in a spacecraft and creates a byproduct that can be dried into a flavor-neutral protein-rich flour.  The flour has similar properties to meat protein, has remarkable nutritional value and can be used as the main ingredient of printed food products.  According to Solar Foods, their product “Solein” is 65-70% protein, 5-8% fat and 10-15% dietary fibers and 3-5% mineral nutrients.

The final piece of the puzzle is being unlocked by Motif FoodWorks who are taking the science of creating foods through fermenting yeast and microbes and combining it with the culinary art and science of making it look, feel, smell and taste accurate.  Motif FoodWorks specialize in designing foods that look, taste, smell and feel like the real thing. They are currently selling  a beef product with pork and chicken products due to release in the next year.

Putting it all together:  To make foods on Mars that an astronaut would want to eat, it all comes down to mixing the flavors with the fermented byproduct ingredients, controlling the consistency and feel, and making it look close to the original product. 

To achieve the taste and feel of the original food, the new products will require the ingredients to be mixed precisely with the correct vitamins and flavors. Modern food automation technology has already perfected the ability to push a button and have a machine like the Botrista DrinkBot mix together complex set of flavors into a 5-star quality drink. This same technology could easily be modified to take Solein or Air protein, mix it with a custom blend of Gingo Bioworks flavors and vitamins and send it down the line to have 3D printers turn it into tasty dishes.

Modern 3D printing technology is perfectly suited to replicate the look and feel of desired foods. 3D printing in its simplest form takes a material like plastic or chocolate and extrudes it through a nozzle in a printer head onto a print bed.  Using this process, it is possible to make complex creations one layer at a time using multiple materials.

3D printed food is already on the market.  The company Redefine Meat is currently selling six 3D printed plant based “meats” that use 3D printed alternating layers of fatty and protein print materials to simulate fat and muscle in the meat.  This detail is the key to making the product cook, taste and feel like the real thing.  Natural Machines “Foodini” brings touch screen food printing to the modern kitchen and combines the ease of premixed ingredients with the accuracy of 3D printing.  All the user has to do is preload up to five food capsules with the mixtures of their intended creation and pick the design they want on the easy-to-use touch screen.  The printer does all the rest. 

Achieving sustainable food production on Mars is within our reach now.  Combining the fermentation production capabilities of Solar Foods,  Air Protein and Gingo Bioworks with the algorithmic dispensing technology of the DrinkBot creates the ability to produce ingredients with endless flavor and consistency combinations.  These ingredients can then be printed into any imaginable food on a system like the Foodini at a touch of a button.  Continuing to mature, develop and combine these technologies will be a critical part of the Mars Blueprint to ensure mission success.