Why is tomato powder always in astronauts' diets?

Why is it always in astronauts' diets? Uncovering the industry core of "space-standard" tomato powder

In the highly anticipated space industry, every bite of food for astronauts has undergone rigorous scientific screening.Among the many ingredients, there is one that seems ordinary but frequently appears on space menus - Tomato Powder.Why has it become a common "space food"? What scientific logic and industry value are hidden behind this?

一、 The rigors of space food: Why tomatoes?

Astronauts' food must meet several stringent requirements:

Extremely light weight and volume: Rocket launch costs are extremely high, and every gram counts.

Extremely long shelf life: Missions are long, requiring long-term stability at room temperature.

Extremely high nutrient density: In extreme environments of weightlessness and high radiation, efficient nutrient replenishment is essential.

Easy to consume: No crumbs should form to prevent them from floating into equipment, and good rehydration is required.

Tomato powder perfectly meets all the above requirements.

二、 The core value of tomato powder: "nutrient concentrate" and "natural colorant"

Tomato powder is not simply dehydrated tomatoes. It is a powder made from fresh tomatoes through processes such as spray drying or freeze drying, which concentrates and retains their nutritional essence to the greatest extent.

1. Powerful nutritional protection team:

King of Lycopene: Lycopene is one of the most powerful natural antioxidants discovered to date, with a capacity more than twice that of beta-carotene. It can effectively resist radiation damage in space and protect cells from free radical attacks, which is crucial for astronauts working in cosmic ray environments.

Comprehensive vitamin library: rich in vitamin C (enhances immunity), vitamin K (promotes bone health), B vitamins (energy metabolism) and minerals such as potassium.

Dietary fiber: helps maintain astronauts' intestinal health in a weightless environment.

2. Excellent natural functional properties:

Natural colorant: Tomato powder can give foods a bright, natural red or orange-red color, reducing the need for synthetic colors and conforming to the "clean label" trend.

Flavor enhancer: It carries the unique sweet and sour flavor of tomatoes and can effectively enhance the overall flavor level of products such as soups, sauces, and snacks.

三、 Downstream applications: not only in space, but also around us

The application of tomato powder has long since flown from space capsules to ordinary people's homes and is now widespread in major food industry fields:

Convenience foods and seasonings：It is the core ingredient of tomato flavor powder packets, hot pot base, and compound seasoning powder, providing base flavor and color.

Healthy nutrition products：As a carrier of natural lycopene, it is used in the production of dietary supplements and solid beverages.

Meat products and snacks：It is used in sausages, fish paste, puffed foods, and biscuits, serving not only as a natural pigment but also as a seasoning and nutritional enhancement.

Complementary food for infants and young children：Due to its natural and nutritious properties, it is often used in infant nutritional rice noodles, noodles and other products.

Tomato powder’s “astronaut diet” halo is the ultimate proof of its ultra-high nutritional density, excellent stability and convenient application.It represents the wisdom of the food industry in transforming natural ingredients into stable and efficient functional raw materials.

For food manufacturers, choosing a high-quality tomato powder with bright color and high lycopene content means that your product will gain:

A natural health barrier（Antioxidant）

A touch of pure bright color（Natural coloring）

A rich flavor background（Flavor enhancement）

This is not only an investment in cost, but also an upgrade in product value, which can enable your products to have solid "hard-core" competitiveness like aerospace technology in the fierce market competition.