The findings hint at the juice’s promise as a functional food that may help curb the unchecked inflammation that characterizes a range of chronic conditions, researchers say. 

The tomato-soy juice contained high levels of the plant-based compounds lycopene and soy isoflavones, both believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties based on previous research. Compared to a control tomato juice lacking these compounds, the tomato-soy juice significantly lowered blood levels of three proteins that are markers of systemic inflammation. 

“The idea is, can we use food-based interventions to modulate inflammation?” said lead author Jessica Cooperstone, associate professor of horticulture and crop science at The Ohio State University. “And can we test this in a rigorous way so that we can really see this is affecting inflammation, versus just saying something is anti-inflammatory?” 

Based on these results and additional data, Cooperstone and colleagues have received National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases funding for a pilot clinical trial testing whether consuming the same tomato-soy juice reduces inflammation in patients with pancreatitis. 

The study was published recently in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 

Lycopene is a carotenoid that gives tomatoes and other vegetables their colors, and soy isoflavones are flavonoids that mimic the action of the hormone estrogen. Both are phytochemicals that help plants thrive. 

Years ago, based on studies showing an association between diets high in either tomato products or soy and a lowered risk for prostate cancer, Ohio State researchers developed the tomato-soy juice made with tomatoes containing a high concentration of lycopene – also developed and grown at Ohio State – and enriched with soy isoflavone extract. 

Later research at the university linked higher intake of the tomato-soy juice to reduced prostate-specific antigen levels in some men with prostate cancer, and studies elsewhere have suggested that tomatoes and soy, consumed separately or combined, can affect inflammatory and metabolic pathways related to obesity and other chronic illnesses. 

“There’s been enough compelling evidence that compounds from tomatoes and soy might be modulating inflammation that we decided to test this in people,” Cooperstone said. 

In the new study, 12 healthy adults with obesity consumed two 6-ounce cans of tomato-soy juice every day for four weeks. After a washout period, they consumed the low-carotenoid control tomato juice for four weeks. 

“The hypothesis is that it’s the lycopene from the tomatoes and the isoflavones from the soy that’s inducing the effect, so we didn’t want to have a control that’s just water,” Cooperstone said. 

Researchers took blood samples testing for cytokines – pro-inflammatory proteins produced by the immune system – before and after each four-week trial period. Only the tomato-soy juice resulted in significant reductions in three cytokines: Interleukin (IL)-5, IL-12p70 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), as well as showing a downward trend in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) that was not statistically significant. 

The team also analyzed participants’ urine before and after each trial period for changes in metabolites, the molecular products of biochemical reactions that break down nutrients to produce energy and perform other essential functions. 

The findings showed that both the tomato-soy and control tomato juice led to some shared changes in the metabolite profiles, meaning some tomato-driven effects occurred in the absence of lycopene. Soy isoflavone metabolite shifts stood out among the changes induced by the tomato-soy juice. While further investigation is warranted, the changes provide additional evidence that this food-based intervention is affecting human biology. 

“This is probably a function of the fact that there’s more to our intervention agents than just these two compounds,” Cooperstone said. “Ultimately, we want to have a better understanding of how the foods that we eat are relating to our health. And when we really want to be sure, we need to test them in clinical trials. And that’s what we’re doing here.”

She and colleagues have also found evidence in an animal model that the soy-tomato juice can reduce inflammation and the severity of chronic pancreatitis – data supporting the prediction in the current clinical trial that the intervention could improve outcomes for patients with pancreatitis. 

“Care for patients with pancreatitis is palliative, focused on controlling pain and GI symptoms. Our hypothesis is that the tomato-soy juice may serve as an intervention to decrease inflammation and hopefully increase patients’ quality of life,” Cooperstone said. 

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, the Lisa and Dan Wampler Endowed Fellowship for Foods and Health Research, and the Foods for Health Initiative at Ohio State. 

Co-authors include first author Maria Sholola, Jenna Miller, Emma Bilbrey, David Francis and Thomas Mace of Ohio State, and Janet Navotny of the USDA. Mace is the lead principal investigator on the pancreatitis trial. Cooperstone, Philip Hart and Kristen Roberts of Ohio State are also PIs on the trial.

In a new study, researchers have developed a way to remove unpleasant aromas from plant-based proteins to make them smell more appealing. They did so by designing a two-step fermentation process to counter the odors that typically form during cultivation and extraction. 

The study’s results showed that their approach could remove between 95 to 99% of key smells, significantly outperforming one-stage fermentation across all proteins. 

Ultimately, the work paves the way for consumers to embrace a wider variety of safe and nutritious food choices, said Sheryl Barringer, senior author of the study and a professor in food science and technology at The Ohio State University. 

“Plant-based proteins are becoming more and more popular, either as people become vegetarians or just want to reduce their meat consumption,” she said. “Consumers want that option, but they don't want to give up on the taste.” 

Most plant-based proteins, especially those produced as alternatives to milk and dairy products, naturally emit odors that can negatively affect their reception by consumers. Since smell greatly influences flavor perception, these scents, often described as beany, grassy, earthy, sulfurous or cereal-like, can make it difficult for consumers to choose healthier food alternatives. 

“Lots of factors all contribute to food preference, but it’s really hard to say I’m going to force myself to eat a product because it’s good for me, even if it tastes bad,” said Barringer. 

Still, as global demand shifts toward more sustainable, health-conscious and allergen-friendly foods, scientists are having to get creative about raising interest in plant-based proteins. Aside from their compatibility with vegan and lactose-intolerant diets, alternative proteins would likely also be beneficial for the long-term health of the global food supply, as well as help reduce the environmental impact of our food systems. 

The study was recently published in the journal Foods. 

Depending on the product, successful fermentation can take anywhere from a few hours to a whole day.. Adding the second step doesn’t overcomplicate this process, meaning that future plant-based proteins created using this team’s anti-smell method won’t cost consumers more or take longer to make, said Manpreet Kaur, lead author of the study and a PhD student in food science and technology at Ohio State. 

“We are using the same things that are used in the normal fermentation process,” said Kaur. “The only thing changed is how we utilize the bacteria.”

In the first stage of the experiment, researchers added a type of beneficial bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum, to their microbial cultures, allowing it to ferment and begin breaking down the compounds responsible for foul smells. In stage two, they used a traditional yogurt culture containing a variety of common bacteria known for developing and modulating desirable aromas to complete the fermentation process. 

The team then applied this method to solutions containing eight different plant proteins: 9% soy, pea, chickpea, mung bean, faba bean, rice, barley-rice and hemp. In each test, human sensory evaluation results revealed consistent and often near-complete reductions in smells. 

Kaur and colleagues also found that adding certain ingredients could affect the outcome of the process. For example, while the natural sugar allulose could enhance Lactobacillus plantarum activity, strawberry preserves aided the performance of the bacteria in the yogurt. In contrast, non-fermentable additives, such as pectin, xanthan gum and oil, were introduced with only minimal effects on odor reduction.  

Overall, this work not only advances the field’s understanding of how fermentation can be used to mitigate unsavory sensory challenges, but also offers a practical solution for the development of flavorful plant-based dairy snack alternatives, the researchers say.

“There’s a real focus on people wanting to be healthier and more environmentally conscious, and a push for plant-based products instead of meat and dairy products,” said Barringer. “So I expect this area of research will absolutely continue to grow in the next many years.”

Charlotte Gray from Ohio State was also a co-author. 

In developing the new system, researchers at The Ohio State University also discovered that combining two bacterial species in the electro-fermentation mix not only helped accelerate the process, but allowed for more targeted chemical production. 

In this study, the food waste consisted of ice cream and sour cream – but the team has expanded the work with experiments using coffee grounds and lake algae. 

Eventual adoption of the technology could reap many benefits: efficient, sustainable and cost-effective production of multipurpose chemicals using source materials that would otherwise end up incinerated or in a landfill, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. 

“We are creating an industry from another industry’s waste,” said first author Beenish Saba, a research scientist in food, agricultural and biological engineering at Ohio State. 

“We’re making use of waste that a contractor charges businesses to take to a landfill, where it produces methane gas. We are suggesting that industries can put up a simple bioreactor in which they can produce other important byproducts.” 

The study was published recently in the Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. 

This work builds upon previous waste valorization research done by Saba and Katrina Cornish, professor emerita of horticulture and crop science and food, agricultural and biological engineering at Ohio State and a co-lead author of the current study.  

The valorization work involved analysis of physical and chemical properties of 46 food waste samples to identify good candidates for conversion to chemicals and biogases through a variety of processes – including fermentation. 

In the new study, Saba and colleagues compared the output and duration of conventional fermentation and electro-fermentation. Conventional practices consist of placing food waste and bacteria in a bottle, adjusting nutrient levels and incubating the materials at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Electro-fermentation is accomplished at room temperature inside a bioreactor outfitted with an electrode powered by minimal external voltage. 

“In conventional fermentation, the bacteria are happily growing and they will produce some solvents and gases,” Saba said. “In the second step, we gave them a little tingling electricity so the bacteria can feel a little irritation, and the metabolism was fast. They were growing and happily eating, and they produced more byproducts – meaning we can increase the yield.” 

There was another bonus to development of this new microbial electrochemical system: production of hydrogen gas. 

Experiments showed that combining two bacterial species from the Clostridium family contributed to hydrogen gas production while also reducing fermentation waste – it is known that the commonly used species C. bijerinckii generates carbon dioxide while converting food waste into alcohols, but it turns out another species, C. carboxidivorans, consumes that CO2. 

“It means the waste product of one bacteria is utilized by the other bacteria,” Saba said. “It was possible that there could have been an antagonistic relationship, but we tested growing them together and found there’s a synergistic relationship between these two bacteria that works well.” 

And in addition to consuming the CO2, C. carboxidivorans produces hydrogen gas and solvents. 

“Carbon dioxide is still there, but most of it is consumed, and it gives us hydrogen gas – an additional product. We now have two valuable products and one waste product,” she said. 

The work dovetails with an increased focus on using food waste and agricultural residue to create biobased products, Saba said. 

“We are working on improving the yield, cost efficiency and scalability,” she said. “The government is asking for work in this area and industry is interested in getting value from waste and not paying for its disposal. 

“So much material that is agricultural or biological in nature is just going to waste. It’s much better to utilize them and make valuable products.” 

This research was supported by the Ohio State President’s Research Excellence-Catalyst program funding and the Ohio Water Development Authority. 

Additional co-authors were Stephen Akinola, Ann Christy and Thaddeus Ezeji, all of Ohio State.

Based on survey results, researchers estimated that groceries, takeout and restaurant leftovers averaging $12 in value per night of short-term lodging remains uneaten. Though the analysis didn’t pinpoint how much remaining food landed in the trash, that was the most common outcome reported, along with taking food home or leaving it behind. 

On average, the value of wasted food per trip amounted to about 5.1% of the nightly rental fee. 

“The 5% figure is probably similar to tax rates on lodging in particular localities,” said lead author Brian Roe, professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University. “So people are basically paying an additional lodging tax through the money they spend on food that they never eat while they’re in the Airbnb.” 

The findings suggested travelers would be open to information from rental hosts about composting options or places to donate uneaten food. 

“There’s some interest among travelers to try to reduce their footprints, and this would be a way to do that,” Roe said. 

The study was published recently in the journal Waste Management. 

Data came from an online survey of 502 U.S. adults who had traveled in the past year reporting on their most recent trip using an Airbnb, VRBO or other short-term rental. Nearly all of the respondents were traveling for vacation – only 3% had been on a business trip. 

Researchers made projections based on statistical analyses combined with relevant national data to calculate the annual estimate of up to $2.3 billion that short-term renters spend on food that they don’t consume before the vacation ends. 

“That amount is an eye-opener,” Roe said. “And if people just realize uneaten food amounts to a 5% surcharge, either they can make sure they’re ready to transport food home if they’re in a car or can get it into the right hands for donation or composting at their rental location.” 

Additional findings included:

• Travelers paid an average of $231 per night for lodging.
• Each child along for the trip was associated with a greater amount of uneaten food by the end of the stay.
• About 80% of travel groups eat at least one meal per day in a short-term rental, and 6.3% eat in for every meal.
• The $12 in wasted food per night consists of $7 in groceries and $5 in food prepared elsewhere.
• Produce and pantry staples top the list of vacation groceries most commonly unused.
• Almost half of respondents said they waste more food when they travel than they do at home, while almost 21% said their food waste at home exceeded travel food waste.

Spending on groceries alone at short-term rentals added up to an average of $34 per day – a tourism statistic not previously known, Roe said.

“There are lots of estimates of how much tourists impact local economies, but this, to my knowledge, is one of the first documentations of how much people spend per day in groceries while they’re in an Airbnb,” he said.

Results indicated 46% of hosts provided an opportunity for renters to recycle and over 20% provided instructions on what to do with uneaten food. About three-fourths of respondents said they would consider it somewhat or very helpful for hosts to offer information on how to donate unused food or compost leftover food. 

“Given what we saw from consumers, there seemed to be interest in understanding if food could be donated or composted, and if so, how and where,” Roe said. 

“One can imagine this as a simple addition to a host’s information booklet – probably a very doable implementation. And if that knocked that $2 billion number down to $1.5 billion, that’s half a billion dollars less each year of wasted food.” 

Co-authors of the study were Sarah Ganbat and Mallika Malhotra, both Ohio State students.

The research helps explain differences in chili pepper pungency, or spiciness, by identifying three compounds in a range of pepper samples that chemical analysis predicted, and study participants on a tasting panel confirmed, are linked to lower heat intensity. 

The findings have multiple potential applications: customized chili pepper breeding, a pain-relief alternative to capsaicin and, in homes with a range of culinary spice sensitivities, a new condiment to put in the pantry. 

“If you’re at home and you’ve ordered cuisine that has spice to it that’s a little too hot for some tastes, you can just sprinkle on a form of chili pepper that has got these suppressant agents in them that will dial it down,” said senior study author Devin Peterson, professor of food science and technology at The Ohio State University. 

“I think the idea of using a natural material as an anti-spice, especially for somebody with kids, would have value as a household ingredient.”

The research was published online May 14 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Chili pepper heat intensity has long been attributed to two members of a class of compounds called capsaicinoids: capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. Scoville Heat Units, a scale used for over a century to determine the pungency of chili peppers, are calculated based on each pepper’s concentration of these two compounds. 

For this study, Peterson and colleagues obtained 10 cultivars of chili peppers, determined their Scoville units based on their capsaicinoid content, and normalized the group so all samples, prepared in dried powder form, had the same number of Scoville units. The researchers then added the standardized powders to tomato juice and asked a trained tasting panel to gauge their pungency. 

“They’re all in the same base and all normalized, so they should have had a similar heat perception, but they didn’t,” said Peterson, also faculty director of Ohio State’s Foods for Health Research Initiative. “That is a pretty clear indication that other things were at play and impacting the perception.” 

With this sensory perception data in hand, the researchers created statistical models and consulted molecular structures in existing libraries of chemicals to arrive at five candidate compounds predicted to be lowering the peppers’ perceived spiciness.

A second trained panel of tasters then compared the pungency of a range of capsaicinoid samples mixed with varying levels of these candidate compounds during tests in which different samples were placed on each side of the tongue simultaneously.

The second round of sensory results combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments led the team to narrow down the heat suppression effects to three compounds: capsianoside I, roseoside and gingerglycolipid A. These results describe an overall mechanism that affects chili pepper heat levels, but are not exclusive to any specific chili pepper varieties. 

Peterson’s lab studies the complex relationships between oral cavity receptors and food compounds that influence human perception of flavor. The broad goal: applying findings to improving the taste of healthful foods without adding sugar, salt and fats. 

“What is maybe underappreciated from a science perspective is how important food flavor is to your dietary patterns and your enjoyment in life,” he said. “So part of what we focus on is, how do we make healthy eating less difficult?” 

When it comes to capsaicinoids, however, there is also a pain management implication from this study’s results. 

The TRPV1 receptors in the oral cavity that perceive chili pepper spiciness are triggered by molecules – including capsaicin – that cause sensations of pain and heat. These same receptors are present throughout the body, meaning that capsaicin in supplement and topical form eases pain by initially exposing receptors to the irritation signal and eventually desensitizing them to that stimulus so the pain goes away.

The newly identified heat-suppressing compounds may have the same desensitization effect – without the initial burn, Peterson said. 

This work was supported by the Flavor Research and Education Center, which Peterson founded and directs, in Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Joel Borcherding, former graduate student, and Edisson Tello, research professor, both in Ohio State’s Department of Food Science and Technology, co-authored the study.

The national survey found that discarded frozen items make up about 6% of wasted household food in the United States. Based on frozen food’s relatively small contribution to food waste and other findings in the study, researchers say urging consumers to stock their freezers might be one way to prevent premature disposal of food. 

Results showed that though overall food waste remained high, there was a bright spot: Freezing food was associated with less food landing in the trash. 

“We found that households with home freezing behaviors are more likely to have less food waste than other households,” said Lei Xu, first author of the paper and a postdoctoral scholar specializing in agricultural and food economics at The Ohio State University. 

“Food waste is not just an economic loss – it also causes environmental damage because more than 90% of wasted food goes to the landfill, and this can produce greenhouse gas emissions,” Xu said. “The findings suggest that in the future, if we can encourage households to have home freezing behaviors, this small change in food storage habits can have a large environmental impact.” 

Xu completed the study with graduate student Ran Li and senior author Brian Roe, professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at Ohio State. The research was published recently in the British Food Journal. 

Roe has been studying household food waste for years, but this is the first study to tease out where frozen food fits into the food waste picture. Recent estimates have suggested about 30% of food in the United States is wasted, but other research led by Roe suggests consumer food waste is trending upward. 

“The fact that food waste is still increasing may suggest to policymakers that campaigns could be useful to educate households about balancing purchasing behavior and making the most of the food they buy,” Xu said. 

The current study data comes from frozen food-related questions added to the summer 2022 wave of the U.S. National Household Food Waste Tracking Survey in which 1,067 households participated. Respondents were asked to estimate the percentage of all discarded food in the previous seven days that had been frozen and whether it was bought frozen or was unfrozen and placed in the freezer later. They also reported the typical frequency of buying frozen foods. 

The responses indicated that 85% of U.S. households buy frozen foods and among those, 55% of participants reported they purchased frozen food to reduce waste. Frozen food purchasers were more likely to shop infrequently – two to three times per month – and were more likely to be living in households with annual income of under $50,000. The most common categories of discarded frozen foods were meat (20% of total frozen food waste), vegetables (22%) and potatoes and grains (15% each). 

“Based on what we’re seeing among households, we still have space to increase awareness to save food by using freezing behavior,” Xu said. 

Data showed a link between frequent home freezing and significantly less total food waste. Respondents most likely to freeze fresh items or extra food were aged 45 years and older and living in households of three or more people – a possible sign, the authors said, that consumers with a home freezing routine may be more experienced at managing meals for a group and motivated to avoid food waste. 

What the team considered somewhat surprising – and enlightening – was the finding that about 30% more of wasted frozen food was discarded from the refrigerator than from the freezer. 

“Thinking about why that happens, it might mean they don’t understand food storage techniques and don’t understand how long they should keep certain foods and where they should put it,” Xu said. “This suggests more explicit food storage instructions on food labels could educate consumers about how to correctly store foods to reduce waste.” 

Trends in the data suggest that consumer education about the freezer’s role in saving food could make a difference economically and environmentally, Xu said, and also help address the societal problem of food insecurity experienced by 10% of U.S. households. 

“Half of consumers buy frozen food to reduce waste. What about the other half?” she said. “We want to increase social awareness of how to save food, and explain how people use frozen food and home freezing techniques to save food. And freezing is one of the most accessible techniques because essentially all households have a refrigerator and freezer.” 

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Science Foundation and a gift from the Frozen Food Foundation that facilitated collection of a larger survey sample size. 

In a survey of people currently on GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, 25% of respondents agreed they had wasted more food since taking the drugs, compared to 61% who disagreed. People who were nauseated by the drugs were more likely to report increased food waste. Being on the medications for a longer period of time and eating more vegetables were associated with less food waste. 

Scientists at The Ohio State University see this study of consumer behavior as an initial effort to consider the effects of these increasingly popular anti-obesity drugs on food production and waste nationally and globally.

“This was a pilot study to start looking at implications of these medications and get in the ballpark of understanding which broad categories of food are more or less preferred after starting the medication,” said senior author Brian Roe, professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University.

“The fact that food waste appears to decrease as patients acclimate to the medication suggests there may be a fairly simple remedy – advising patients new to these medications about the possibility of discarding food as their diets change, which could reduce food waste and lower their spending.”   

The research was published recently in the journal Nutrients. 

About one-third of food in the United States is wasted, and about half of that is attributable to consumers who waste an average of 1 pound of food per person per day, according to National Academies estimates. 

As of spring of this year, 6% of U.S. adults reported taking GLP-1 agonists, which treat type 2 diabetes and obesity by acting on a hormone in the small intestine to lower blood sugar, slow emptying of the stomach and signal fullness to the brain. In the study, almost 70% of respondents were taking semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy) and nearly a quarter were taking terzepatide (Mounjaro). 

The researchers surveyed 505 U.S. adults currently on anti-obesity medications through an online questionnaire focused on sociodemographic factors, personal characteristics, and questions concerning changes in eating habits, weight and food waste since starting on the medications. The data analysis looked for various influences on how much participants agreed with one key statement: “Since beginning this medication I have found I waste more of the food that I purchase.” 

Participants represented a range of ages, household incomes and education levels, and most had insurance. On average, the group had lost 20% of their body weight if they had been on the medications for at least one year. 

The one-fourth of participants who had been on the drugs for a year or longer were less likely to report wasting food than people who had taken the medication for 90 days or fewer – about 30% of the respondents. 

Though nausea was the main driver of food waste, the results hinted at another possible influence: changes in preferences and habits that led people to toss foods that had fallen out of favor. Overall, participants reported adding produce, protein, fish and healthy fats to their diets and consuming less alcohol, pasta and other carbohydrates, fried foods, sweets and dairy. 

“Meat is neutral in terms of eating more or less after starting this medication,” Roe said. 

The addition of vegetables to the diet – the most commonly wasted food group in the United States – was linked to a lower likelihood of wasting food, another sign of changing habits that, in this case, involved eating more veggie-dense meals. 

Roe is planning another paper examining changes to household finances linked to taking anti-obesity medicines – in terms of both pharmacy and food costs. Given the steady rise in GLP-1 agonist prescribing, there are broad local and global economic and environmental impacts at play, he said. 

“People taking these medications in all likelihood will be spending less on food, but whether there is a chance to offset the cost of the drug through reduction in food spending remains to be seen,” he said. 

Other research labs have used simulations to show that reducing population-level food consumption can lower energy costs, preserve land and water resources, and reduce greenhouse gas creation by keeping discarded food out of landfills. But considering how relatively new anti-obesity medications are, there isn’t enough data to make predictions about the extent of their societal effects just yet. 

“I think it’s clear that novel anti-obesity medications have a chance to impact global public health, and research suggests changes in intake of food can affect indicators of environmental impacts,” Roe said. “There are lots of compelling questions as we think about sustainability of the food system and health care.” 

First author Jamil Mansouri, a Purdue University agricultural economics student, completed this work as a summer intern at Ohio State as part of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Summer Research Opportunities Program. 

This research was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Ohio State’s Van Buren Fund, which supports the professorship held by Roe in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

For one, no one can deliver takeout to the International Space Station. Likewise, because space food needs to be safe and nutritious, and last for at least five years, most of the fare onboard tends to be freeze-dried or packaged in disposable containers. 

Efforts to improve current food production systems so astronauts might have both nutritious and delicious menu choices was the focus of NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge, the third and final phase of which was co-hosted by The Ohio State University. 

In 2019, NASA and the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) started the Deep Space Food Challenge, a multi-year international effort to develop sustainable food systems for long-duration habitation in space, including on the moon and Mars. Since Phase 1 of the challenge opened in 2021, more than 300 teams from 32 countries have developed innovative food system designs. On Aug. 16, NASA announced the final Phase 3 winners at Ohio State.

Presented at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, the two-day event featured panel discussions with students, scientists and government representatives involved in developing sustainable food systems for long-duration human exploration, as the current system space agencies employ likely wouldn’t work well for extended planetary missions.  

“Food is the limiting factor for human spaceflight,” said Tor Blomqvist, a food researcher at the German Aerospace Center, during a dialogue on fostering collaborative relationships between government entities and commercial space companies. “Before we can have a continuous human presence on the lunar surface, we need to figure out a way to increase food production in space, especially if we want to reduce our dependencies on Earth as much as possible.”

Space food systems are required to carry out a variety of onboard processes. This includes being able to store food in areas with limited space and ensuring safe food preparation, as well as establishing a method to eliminate all the waste the process of cooking creates. Eating in microgravity can be difficult while adhering to the balanced diet astronauts must meet, but because food can play a critical role in the crew’s psychological well-being, like affecting their mood and morale, the future of space exploration is as intimately tied to the type of food we pack on the trip as it is to advances in cutting-edge rocketry.

“We’re going to need a roadmap for the food systems we’re trying to achieve and this is something that national space agencies can’t do themselves,” said Blomqvist. The solution, he said, is to inspire cooperation between the private and public sectors. 

Ohio State has already cemented its connection to the rising commercial space industry through the establishment of the George Washington Carver Science Park (GWCSP) in cooperation with Voyager Space Holdings.

Located at the north side of The Ohio State University Airport, the GWCSP will serve as an ecosystem to fortify commercial spaceflight research, technology, and economic development in low-Earth orbit. The park will also include terrestrial analogs of research and facilities aboard the upcoming commercial space station Starlab, said John Horack, Neil Armstrong Chair in aerospace policy at Ohio State and a key organizer of the event.

The ground-based research and development conducted there will help establish sustainable exploration beyond Earth by developing manufacturing technologies that inform space constructions, addressing novel ways to keep astronauts healthy and safe via closed-loop life support systems, and studying unique agricultural challenges. 

“Carver’s work was about creating new knowledge and research that would impact the largest number of people in the most profound way possible, so that their lives could be improved,” said Horack. “This anchor site will strive to do the same.”

The conclusion of the Deep Space Food Challenge, which is also geared toward helping Earth’s food scarcity issues, also featured demonstrations from The Ohio State University Simunauts, a group of current and former College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences students who worked alongside NASA to operate the novel technologies being presented. Of the four teams who competed to win a prize purse of $1 million, Interstellar Lab received $750,000, while the two semi-finalists Nolux and SATED received an award of $250,000 each. 

“Congratulations to not only the winner of the Deep Space Food Challenge, but to all those companies whose products and technologies will help us not only to feed astronauts in deep space but use our research in space to feed people here on Earth,” said Horack.