Food preparation alternatives and food acceptability under short term Mars analogue mission conditions

Crews of the 2009-2010 season at the Mars Desert Research Station, a Mars analogue facility, lived under Mars simulation conditions for two-week missions during which their food supply consisted of freeze-dried/rehydratable foods, shelf-stable packaged foods, and shelf-stable staple ingredients requiring no refrigeration. Crews alternated between days of no cooking, using only and prepackaged foods, and cooking days during which the main meal and other foods were prepared by crewmembers from shelfstable ingredients. Equipment provided included a breadmaker, stove, oven, sprouting kit, and a small refrigerator/freezer. We assessed crewmembers' mood state, self-reported state of health, food preparation time, and food intake by daily surveys. Crewmembers rated their liking for the foods served at their main meal, and noted their relative intake of each food. They were also invited to comment on the “high point” and “low point” of each day’s experience at the station. Our hypothesis was that crews would prefer custom prepared meals to instant meals despite the burden of preparation time and effort. Usable 7-day datasets were obtained for 42 of the 61 crewmembers and 30 crewmembers 14-day datasets.