We have repeatedly reported that space has a variety of effects on astronauts. Some of them pose a serious health risk, such as the destruction of blood in zero gravity, while others are simply odd and cause some discomfort. For example, astronauts often complain that the food on the ISS seems bland and tasteless. Although there is nothing dangerous about this, for many astronauts it is still a serious problem, which sometimes prevents them from getting enough nutrition. However, scientists still do not know the cause of this effect and how to combat it. Perhaps a recent study can provide an answer to this question.
Astronauts often complain that food in space is not tasty. Photo source: popsci.com
Does zero gravity affect the taste of food?
Nutrition in space is an important issue that scientists have been studying for a long time. Sooner or later, astronauts will have to make long space trips, and stay in space even much longer than astronauts stuck on the ISS, and then nutrition will play a very important role. Therefore, it is important that “space” dishes are not only healthy, but also tasty.
Previously, studies have been conducted on the reasons for the change in taste in astronauts, but no clear answer was obtained. According to one version, the problem is caused by fluid displacement in the body. We have previously reported that in zero gravity, fluid accumulates in the upper body and head. This leads to swelling of the face and other changes in the body, one of which may be a change in taste.
In zero gravity, liquid accumulates in the upper part of the body. Photo source: travelask.ru
However, this version is refuted by the fact that astronauts continue to have taste problems even after the effects of fluid displacement, such as facial swelling, have passed. Therefore, Australian scientists decided to conduct their own study, which was different from all previous ones.
Why astronauts don't like the taste of food in space
Employees from RMIT University in Australia focused in their work not on the conditions that astronauts face in space, but on their emotional state and how it can affect the perception of aromas. Aromas, as we know, affect the taste of food.
Of course, sending people into space to conduct research is very difficult and expensive. So the team decided to use a virtual reality designed specifically to simulate being on the ISS. As the researchers explain, the virtual reality contained floating objects that simulated weightlessness, and it also created a sense of clutter and loud background noise that is present on the ISS.
Scientists simulated conditions on the ISS using virtual reality. Image source: sciencealert.com
In addition, all volunteers were given three different smells to smell: vanilla, almond, and lemon. The intensity of each smell had to be rated on a scale of 1 to 5 in different conditions – in a regular room and on board the virtual ISS. As the authors of the work report in the publication Food Science + Technology, in different conditions, people really do perceive aromas, at least some of them, differently.
Volunteers reported that the lemon smell remained the same regardless of the environment, but the other two smells seemed more intense in space on the ISS. According to the authors of the work, this may be due to the volatile aromatic compound benzaldehyde. It is present in almonds and vanilla, but not in lemon.
Of course, this study also does not give a clear answer to the question of why taste and smell become dull in space. However, it shows that the perception of smell depends on many factors, that is, to some extent, it is subjective. But why, in this case, did the volunteers on board the virtual ISS experience stronger smells, rather than duller ones? It is quite possible that the reason is that the virtual environment is still very different from the real one. In addition, it is possible that other smells of the volunteers in virtual reality also became duller.
Scientists have figured out how to make food tasty in space. Photo source: kommersant.ru
How to make food tasty in space?
If the researchers were not mistaken in their conclusions, then not all volatile compounds with common odor profiles are subject to contextual influence. That is, some odors may be highly dependent on a person's emotional state and other factors, while others do not depend at all. An example is the smell of lemon.
Therefore, it is possible to identify compounds that remain unchanged and retain their attractiveness even on the ISS. Perhaps some become even more attractive in space. This knowledge will help develop a diet for astronauts. In addition, this study may help in creating personalized nutrition for people who are in isolated conditions. For example, these may be people in nursing homes. However, a number of additional studies will have to be conducted first.
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Finally, we note that the very idea that taste is subjective is not something new. But the fact that a virtual environment can affect taste is a discovery. However, it is still too early to put an end to the question of changing the taste of food in space.