Browsing by Author "Curry, Aaron"
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Item Legume Crop Testing for Space(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Spencer, Lashelle; Gooden, Jennifer; Curry, Aaron; Sirmons, Takiyah; Romeyn, Matthew; Wheeler, RaymondLong-duration missions beyond low-Earth orbit will encounter challenges in maintaining adequate nutrition and acceptability in the food system. In situ production of fresh produce can supplement nutrient deficiencies in the prepackaged diet. Currently there is a relatively small number of crops that can be reliably grown in space for space crop production efforts. Recent challenges with Veggie plant growth technical demonstrations, such as interveinal chlorosis and necrosis of Tokyo Bekana Chinese cabbage when grown under elevated CO2 (~3000 ppm) and narrow-band LED lighting, have highlighted the necessity to conduct rigorous ISS-relevant crop screening on the ground. Additionally, crops should be selected to address specific nutritional deficits as identified by the Human Research Program, with an emphasis on having a diversity of crops to meet nutritional requirements and crew acceptability. To achieve this, the concept of Crop Readiness Level (CRL) has been developed to gauge readiness of crops for spaceflight applications. This includes assessing environmental compatibility, food safety considerations, relevant nutritional analysis, and sensory analysis. Recent testing at Kennedy Space Center has focused on the advancement of a variety of legumes along the CRL. Five varieties of peas (Pisum sativum) ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Royal Snap’, ‘Yellow Snap’, ‘ES Thick Pod 404-51-2’ and ‘ES Thick Pod 404-52-2-1’ and three varieties of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris); ‘Antigua’, ‘4921 snap’, and ‘Velour Purple’ were grown under 300 µmol m-1 s-1 PPFD from LED lights, 3000 ppm CO2, and 23°C to simulate an ISS environment. Crops will be harvested and yield, baseline nutritional analysis (Vitamins B1, C, K; elemental analysis; proximate analysis) and sensory evaluation will be performed. These baseline data are essential to selecting candidate crops for future missions in addition to assessing crop production hardware and changes in environmental conditions on future crop performance and nutritional quality.Item Novel Microgreen Crop Testing for Space(2023 International Conference on Environmental Systems, 2023-07-16) Spencer, Lashelle; Spencer, Lashelle; Gooden, Jennifer; Curry, Aaron; Romeyn, Matthew; Wheeler, Raymond; Sirmons, TakiyahLong-duration missions beyond low-Earth orbit will encounter challenges in maintaining adequate nutrition and acceptability in the food system. In situ production of fresh produce can supplement nutrient deficiencies in the prepackaged diet. Currently there is a relatively small number of crops that can be reliably grown in space for space crop production efforts. An intriguing area of new investigation is into novel types of microgreens that have the potential to be sources of calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein. These sources of nutrition are not obtainable in significant quantities with current pick and eat crops. Many microgreen cultivars are also sources of nutrients of interest, such as Vitamins B1, C, K and elements such as potassium. Microgreens should be selected to address specific nutritional deficits as identified by the Human Research Program, with an emphasis on having a diversity of crops to meet nutritional requirements and crew acceptability. To achieve this, the concept of Crop Readiness Level (CRL) has been developed to gauge readiness of crops for spaceflight applications. This includes assessing environmental compatibility, food safety considerations, relevant nutritional analysis, and sensory analysis. Recent testing at Kennedy Space Center has focused on the advancement of a variety novel microgreens along the CRL. These varieties were grown under 150 µmol m-1 s-1 PPFD from LED lights, 3000 ppm CO2, and 23°C to simulate an ISS environment. Crops will be harvested and yield, baseline microbiological, nutritional analysis (Vitamins B1, C, K; elemental analysis; proximate analysis) and sensory evaluation will be performed. These baseline data are essential to selecting candidate crops for future missions in addition to assessing crop production hardware and changes in environmental conditions on future crop performance and nutritional quality.Item Sustained Veggie: A Continuous Food Production Comparison(50th International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/12/2021) Curry, Aaron; Bunchek, Jess; Romeyn, MatthewThe International Space Station�s Veggie system intermittently supplies the crew with fresh produce. To assess the potential for continuous crop production in Veggie and develop a baseline for future space crop production systems, a 120-day study was conducted to determine methodology for inputs, optimal yield, and crew involvement. �Amara� mustard and �Red Russian� kale were grown as initial crops, followed by �Extra Dwarf� pak choi and shungiku as final crops. Previous grow-outs in Veggie have included harvests at 28-35 days after initiation. In this study, a 56-day grow-out with multiple harvests from the same plants was compared to the conventional, single harvest Veggie schedule. Unlike previous Veggie studies which grew all plants simultaneously, this test staggered initiation and harvest, aiming for consistent and increased production. Plant pillows were initiated in pairs weekly and positioned to reduce shading. Completed pillows were immediately replaced with fresh ones. The multi-harvest scheme used fewer pillows, totaling 46% less pillow mass than the single harvest method. Scaled to 56-day increments, yield varied by crop and harvest scheme. �Red Russian� kale yielded similarly across harvest schemes. In the multiple-harvest schedule, �Amara� mustard and shungiku yielded 23% to 25% higher, respectively, while �Extra Dwarf� pak choi had 43% lower yield. Microbial analysis of the plants indicated no culturable human pathogens. Microbial load of a given plant appears to depend more on system age than plant age. Across harvest methods, aerobic plate counts from final crops were higher than those of initial crops. This project also considered the complexity of crew involvement in a continuous production scenario. New crew procedures that periodically remove plant material from the Veggie root mat are needed under continuous production to prevent potential pathogens and unpleasant odors. This study supports future space crop production scenarios and was funded by NASA�s Human Research Program.Item The Microbiology of Microgreens Grown in Controlled Environment Chambers under ISS Conditions(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Hummerick, Mary; Curry, Aaron; Gooden, Jennifer; Spern, Cory; Spencer, Lashelle; Romeyn, Matthew; Fischer, JasonMicrogreens have been identified as a new type of pick-and-eat salad crop that can be utilized in space crop production systems. The majority of traditionally grown leafy green crops can be grown as microgreens, in addition to crops such as legumes, sunflower, buckwheat, most herbs, and corn, presenting hundreds of microgreen crop options. Notably, microgreens are nutrient dense, high in beneficial compounds like antioxidants, Vitamins C and K, and exhibit a variety of desirable flavors and textures. The short growth cycles (7-14 days), low water requirements and volume optimization potential make them a viable option for sustainable production of nutritious and flavorful crops in space. The crop production team at Kennedy Space Center is investigating the food safety aspects of microgreens grown under spaceflight relevant conditions for crew consumption. Microbiological analysis and screening for potential foodborne pathogens was performed on over 20 varieties of microgreens that have demonstrated positive horticultural attributes. Additionally, a comparison of microgreens grown hydroponically under ISS environmental conditions and similar varieties from local markets was completed to collect baseline data on the microbial load on microgreens. In an effort to improve microgreen quality, strategies to reduce the microbial load were tested, including bulk seed sanitization, harvest age, exposure to high blue light, and post-harvest chemical disinfection. The efficacy of a citric acid-based produce wash currently used for ISS grown produce and 1% H2O2 were investigated at different exposure times for reduction in bacterial and fungal counts on a variety of microgreens. Limited log reduction was achieved depending on exposure time. Our testing also demonstrated that seed sanitization impacted microbial load on microgreens and systems.