Food in space from hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria

Alvarado, Kyle A.; Martínez, Juan B. García; Matassa, Silvio; Egbejimba, Joseph; Denkenberger, David

doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.12.009

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Other emerging microbial foods often referred to as microalgae other than spirulina such as chlorella and nannochloropsis grown in photobioreactors could also bring useful nutritional contributions, such as fats and essential fatty acids. However, the energy efficiency values (electricity to calories) of cultivating these species in closed environments are expected to be much lower than for the abovementioned hydrogen-based single cell protein (4% vs. 18%) [ 118 ], which also contain fats and essential fatty acids [ 119 ]. Microbial electrosynthesis could be used for the production of acetic acid, and potentially longer-chain, more nutritionally-rich fatty acids as the technology develops [ 27 ].…”

Section: Appendix A1 Mushroomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods

Pham¹,

Martínez²,

Brynych³

et al. 2022

Nutrients

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Abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios (ASRS) following catastrophic events, such as a nuclear war, a large volcanic eruption or an asteroid strike, could prompt global agricultural collapse. There are low-cost foods that could be made available in an ASRS: resilient foods. Nutritionally adequate combinations of these resilient foods are investigated for different stages of a scenario with an effective response, based on existing technology. While macro- and micronutrient requirements were overall met, some—potentially chronic—deficiencies were identified (e.g., vitamins D, E and K). Resilient sources of micronutrients for mitigating these and other potential deficiencies are presented. The results of this analysis suggest that no life-threatening micronutrient deficiencies or excesses would necessarily be present given preparation to deploy resilient foods and an effective response. Careful preparedness and planning—such as stock management and resilient food production ramp-up—is indispensable for an effective response that not only allows for fulfilling people’s energy requirements, but also prevents severe malnutrition.

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Section: Appendix A1 Mushroomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods

Pham¹,

Martínez²,

Brynych³

et al. 2022

Nutrients

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“…Although SCP currently faces some challenges such as consumer acceptance in the food market or the competitive pricing of the feed market, its commercial viability is likely to improve as land resources become scarce and conventional food sources become increasingly expensive and unsustainable. Furthermore, the high resource efficiency that characterizes SCP production in terms of energy, land, water, and nutrient use also make it a prime candidate to support food Photovoltaic-driven microbial protein production can use land and sunlight more efficiently than conventional crops production in future long-term missions in space and permanent settlements on extraterrestrial bodies (61,62).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic-driven microbial protein production can use land and sunlight more efficiently than conventional crops

Leger

Matassa

Noor

et al. 2021

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Population growth and changes in dietary patterns place an ever-growing pressure on the environment. Feeding the world within sustainable boundaries therefore requires revolutionizing the way we harness natural resources. Microbial biomass can be cultivated to yield protein-rich feed and food supplements, collectively termed single-cell protein (SCP). Yet, we still lack a quantitative comparison between traditional agriculture and photovoltaic-driven SCP systems in terms of land use and energetic efficiency. Here, we analyze the energetic efficiency of harnessing solar energy to produce SCP from air and water. Our model includes photovoltaic electricity generation, direct air capture of carbon dioxide, electrosynthesis of an electron donor and/or carbon source for microbial growth (hydrogen, formate, or methanol), microbial cultivation, and the processing of biomass and proteins. We show that, per unit of land, SCP production can reach an over 10-fold higher protein yield and at least twice the caloric yield compared with any staple crop. Altogether, this quantitative analysis offers an assessment of the future potential of photovoltaic-driven microbial foods to supplement conventional agricultural production and support resource-efficient protein supply on a global scale.

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“…Besides that, the ISS, Moon and Mars surface are eclipsed for 50% of the time and the day and night cycles, e.g., on the moon are very different from Earth. For example, one lunar night is as long as 18 Earth days ( Alvarado et al, 2021 ; Xie et al, submitted) 1 . Also, the intensity of natural light sources is much more difficult to be controlled than artificial light sources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Photobioreactors in Regenerative Life Support Systems for Human Space Exploration

et al. 2021

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There are still many challenges to overcome for human space exploration beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) (e.g., to the Moon) and for long-term missions (e.g., to Mars). One of the biggest problems is the reliable air, water and food supply for the crew. Bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) aim to overcome these challenges using bioreactors for waste treatment, air and water revitalization as well as food production. In this review we focus on the microbial photosynthetic bioprocess and photobioreactors in space, which allow removal of toxic carbon dioxide (CO2) and production of oxygen (O2) and edible biomass. This paper gives an overview of the conducted space experiments in LEO with photobioreactors and the precursor work (on ground and in space) for BLSS projects over the last 30 years. We discuss the different hardware approaches as well as the organisms tested for these bioreactors. Even though a lot of experiments showed successful biological air revitalization on ground, the transfer to the space environment is far from trivial. For example, gas-liquid transfer phenomena are different under microgravity conditions which inevitably can affect the cultivation process and the oxygen production. In this review, we also highlight the missing expertise in this research field to pave the way for future space photobioreactor development and we point to future experiments needed to master the challenge of a fully functional BLSS.

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Food in space from hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria

Cited by 22 publications

References 29 publications

Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods

Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods

Photovoltaic-driven microbial protein production can use land and sunlight more efficiently than conventional crops

Use of Photobioreactors in Regenerative Life Support Systems for Human Space Exploration

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