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A comparison of resource cost was made between processed peanut oil and a bulk supply of peanut oil within a reference menu using nominal yield values from literature and equivalency factors from the Exploration Life Support (ELS) Baseline Values and Assumptions Document (BVAD). Results of the comparison show a potential mass savings of up to 496.3 kg if a bulk supply of oil were to replace processed peanut oil within identified recipes. Direct comparison of processed peanut oil and bulk oil commodities shows the cost-to-launch value for processed peanut oil will be 3.2 times greater than a bulk supply. This replacement would also remove 164.4 kg of solid waste generated through peanut processing. These values and the general versatility of a bulk supply of oil indicate that recipes under the bulk commodity supply scenario should use a variety of oils.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working towards future long duration manned space flights beyond low earth orbit. For these missions several food provisioning strategies are being investigated. Individual, prepackaged meals may be provided throughout the mission or commodities may be taken in bulk and processed while on the planetary surface. To enable these different supply scenarios, a packaging system must be developed that will protect the food or commodity and have minimal impact on system mass. Metric values for a prepackaged scenario and a bulk supply scenario, using current packaging material technologies, were compared. The results of this comparison show that bulk packaging penalties will potentially be more than an order of magnitude less than those of a prepackaged food system.

Soybeans were chosen for lunar and planetary missions, where soybeans will be supplied in bulk or grown locally, due to their nutritive value and ability to produce oil and protein for further food applications. However, soybeans must be processed into foods prior to consumption. Wilson et al. (2003) raised questions about the influence of radiation (on germination and functional properties) that the soybeans would be exposed to during bulk storage prior to and during a Mars mission. The influence of radiation can be broken down into two components: the affect of surface pasteurization to ensure the astronauts safety from food-borne illnesses (HACCP, CCP), and the affect of the amount of radiation the soybeans receive during a Mars mission. Decreases in the amount of natural antioxidants, free radical formation, and oxidation-induced changes in the soybean will influence the nutritional value, texture, and quality of soyfoods.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working towards future long duration manned space flights beyond low earth orbit. During these missions, vegetable crops may be grown on the transit vehicle as well as the lunar or planetary surface. The vegetable crops will provide the crew with added nutrition and variety. The vegetable crops, unlike the prepackaged foods, will add bright colors, fresh textures (e.g., crispiness), and fresh aromas to the crew’s menu. Ten vegetable crops have been identified for possible use in long duration missions. They are lettuce, spinach, carrot, tomato, green onion, radish, bell pepper, strawberries, fresh herbs, and cabbage. Since these crops do not require any cooking or food processing prior to consumption, careful sanitation procedures need to be performed.

Soybean products such as soymilk and tofu could be used in recipes for Martian surface missions. Soybean cultivars must therefore meet requirements of both the Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Advanced Food Technology (AFT) elements. Using Equivalent System Mass (ESM) and a Modified Food Quality Index (MFQI), the Food Metric Value (FMV) may provide researchers a way to incorporate quantitative as well as qualitative attributes into a metric more suitable for evaluating potential candidate crops. An FMV was calculated using different tofu production rates and product palatability values for the Hoyt or Vinton 81 cultivar. Results indicate that while crop growth efficiency favors use of the Hoyt cultivar, resulting food yield and product attributes favor use of Vinton 81.

Factors such as protein, bran and moisture content, waste product utilization and bread making technology influence on system mass are being examined at NASA's Johnson Space Center. By optimizing these factors, the Advanced Food System will improve the likelihood of a successful long duration space mission. Results demonstrate an ability to make breads using high protein content flour, identified a need for proper milling equipment, illustrated a possible alternative use of waste materials and identified advantages/disadvantages of using one bread making technology over another.