South Korean food products designed to be consumed in space have received certification from a Russian laboratory, the state-run Korea Food Research Institute (KFRI) said Wednesday.
A total of 10 types of specially manufactured food products, including traditional dishes like fried Kimchi, hot pepper paste, bulgogi or beef stew, and bibimbab, a bowl of mixed rice and vegetables, have won the certification by the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBMP) last week after passing extensive testing, the KFRI said in a statement.
All food products were adjusted to fit the European astronauts’ different tastes, and were specially repackaged to have longer shelf life, according to KFRI, as they were produced under high pressure and heat with below-five percent moisture content.
It added the new products will first be tested in the Russian- led Mars-500 experiment where six astronaut candidates will be locked up in an area totally segregated from the outside world and try the food in order to check its viability in a space-like environment.
The Mars-500 is a project aimed at discovering the possibility of a manned flight to Mars, where a number of experiments will be conducted to solve potential issues it may face, including biomedical support.
The IBMP and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration are the only agencies allowed to certify foods and drinks for space consumption.
South Korean space food products also won certification from the IBMP in April 2008 when the country’s first astronaut, Yi So- yeon, took six types of food and beverage into space with her
