Aroma might help counter the blandness of food in space People in a VR space station perceived some food scents more strongly These scents might be used to boost astronauts’ appetites WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Food tends to taste bland in space, astronauts have reported, making it tough for them to eat enough to stay healthy. Focusing on foods' smell might help overcome this problem, a new study says. Aroma plays a big role in the flavor of food, and researchers found that certain scents might be more powerful in the cramped confines of a spacecraft.
Vanilla and almond aromas were more intense when study participants donned virtual reality goggles that simulated the confined setting of the International Space Station, researchers found. On the other hand, a lemony scent was perceived the same as always, results show. These findings indicate that the isolation and loneliness of space travel might play a role in astronauts’ lack of appetite, researchers concluded.
The VR experiment “really does go a very long way to simulating the experience of being on the space station,” said researcher , an associate professor with RMIT University in Australia. “And it really does change how you smell things and how you taste things.” Despite carefully designed diet plans, astronauts aren’t eating enough during their voyages, researchers noted.
“What we’re going to see in the future with the Artemis missions are much longer missions, years in length, part.
