Fermenting miso in orbit reveals how space can affect a food’s taste

>Fermenting foods in space could provide a new culinary frontier.

>When fermented aboard the International Space Station, the Japanese condiment miso [tasted nuttier than two earthbound versions](https://info.cell.com/e3t/Ctc/I1+113/c3j3g04/VWH9rY8P-6G9W6Yc08z95Qg9nW5b9Bvk5tGS8PN6mkvqb3qgyTW7Y8-PT6lZ3mfVJXLYl3xLS_qW7XwGQj2ckJMVVV4VFz2m0f13N8mN0ncSWM0bW9cphJM8ZC57QW4W5ZXs8my1f_W9hSx3c7Tl2RSVFNQjy2t98fPVmxWS42yG-w8W5RhMtx2smLLPW6tn_0z96llnVW6Vb26b7HYn36W8Gxs0Y59gjwgMRfdx9v0hmqW5Sy9PY2y4NtFW5h4KdZ3lb5G8W5xxyBF1pt9kSVF1brW86srxDW5X1wVK1LSwz1W7bBz0d1_H68wW6t4t9W7R5LDVN7H7FGnKcpKLN7CgDPrQWMXmW8qqWZj62Wx2YW7rdCxy1BtbTKW5xrvHf8NTB7-f7Pp29v04), researchers report April 2 in *iScience*. The finding not only reveals that fermentation is possible for a food orbiting Earth, it also characterizes a space environment’s influence on a food.

>Astronauts usually munch on freeze-dried foods void of most microbes, says industrial designer and researcher Maggie Coblentz of MIT’s Space Exploration Initiative. “Fermentation is a really exciting way to open that up, so to invite a diverse community of microbes that will interact with one another and also preserve food while growing and enhancing flavor.”

Read [more here](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ferment-miso-orbit-space-food-taste-iss) and the [research article here](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ferment-miso-orbit-space-food-taste-iss).