The perfect food for astronauts during long journeys has been named

The ideal food for astronauts on long journeys may be a vegan sweet potato salad.

According to a new article published in ACS Food Science & Technology, researchers evaluated the suitability of 10 dishes for space based on their nutritional content and whether the ingredients could be grown in space. They concluded that a "space salad" consisting of soybeans, poppy seeds, kale, peanuts, and sweet potatoes could be the ideal food for long-distance space travel.

The future of space travel is set on Mars. But any astronaut traveling that distance will need more than a few tubes of astronaut food for the entire trip; they will need a substantial nutritious kitchen that can be grown in flight using recycled water.

"The nutritional needs of astronauts are different from those on Earth because of the stresses on the human body in space," said Alex Burgess, associate professor of agriculture at the University of Nottingham.

Burgess and his colleagues used computational linear programming to assess how well each of the 10 meals met the nutritional requirements of a male astronaut, as well as being lightweight and requiring invaluable fertilizer, water, and space to grow. The model narrowed the choice down to one dish: a vegan salad made from soybeans, poppy seeds, barley, kale, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and sunflower seeds.

The food doesn't quite meet all the nutritional criteria, but any missing minerals can be provided by supplements, Burgess says.

"Long-term space missions will require approximately one ton of food per astronaut per year (including a three-year mission to Mars), most of which must be grown locally to limit payload requirements, and which cannot be provided through the automated resupply missions that occur on the ISS every two months," Burgess explained.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop a space farming system to provide this diet in a sustainable way.