Prabodha Thejani, Danner Lukas, Iles Gail N, Heer Martina, Mack Isabelle, Brennan Charles, Low Julia
Sensory and Consumer Science Research Group, School of Science, RMIT University, Bundoora West Campus, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Werribee, Victoria, Australia.
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2025 Sep;24(5):e70241. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.70241.
Space exploration continues to drive technological and scientific advancements, benefiting both space and Earth. This expanding sector, including commercial space stations, deep-space missions, and space tourism, presents unique challenges and opportunities for food researchers. A critical issue is the limited understanding of how space conditions such as microgravity, isolation, and confinement affect sensory perception, impacting astronauts' nutritional intake and psychological well-being. This review based on a structured literature search strategy integrates existing data on flavor perception during spaceflight missions (n = 16), identifying sensory changes, altered flavor preferences, and cravings linked to space-related stressors. It also evaluates space analogs and simulations related to sensory research (n = 29), assessing their applicability for studying food perception in space conditions. It identified consistent sensory changes, including diminished taste sensitivity, increased preference for spicy or umami‑rich foods, and intense flavors. However, research in this area remains limited, with small sample sizes, inconsistent methodologies, and lack of comprehensive guidelines on applying analogs and simulations in sensory studies. These gaps raise challenges for researchers, particularly those without access to space analogs or simulations, in designing space-related studies. Critically analyzing the findings, the review identifies gaps in understanding the complex interactions between environmental, physiological, and sensory factors. It also outlines potential methodological pathways to strengthen future evidence generation, such as implementing ecologically valid research approaches and validated analog designs, including combined use of multiple analog environments to better replicate the multidimensional sensory context. Addressing these challenges will support astronaut well-being and foster innovations that benefit both space and Earth-based applications.
太空探索持续推动着技术和科学进步，造福于太空和地球。这个不断发展的领域，包括商业空间站、深空任务和太空旅游，给食品研究人员带来了独特的挑战和机遇。一个关键问题是，对于微重力、隔离和封闭等太空条件如何影响感官知觉，进而影响宇航员的营养摄入和心理健康，人们的了解有限。本综述基于结构化文献检索策略，整合了现有关于太空飞行任务期间风味感知的数据（n = 16），识别出与太空相关应激源相关的感官变化、口味偏好改变和渴望。它还评估了与感官研究相关的太空模拟环境（n = 29），评估它们在研究太空条件下食物感知方面的适用性。研究发现了一致的感官变化，包括味觉敏感度降低、对辛辣或鲜味丰富食物的偏好增加以及口味浓郁。然而，该领域的研究仍然有限，样本量小、方法不一致，且在感官研究中应用模拟环境和仿真缺乏全面的指导方针。这些差距给研究人员带来了挑战，尤其是那些无法使用太空模拟环境或仿真的研究人员，在设计与太空相关的研究时面临困难。通过对研究结果进行批判性分析，本综述确定了在理解环境、生理和感官因素之间复杂相互作用方面的差距。它还概述了加强未来证据生成的潜在方法途径，例如实施生态有效的研究方法和经过验证的模拟设计，包括联合使用多种模拟环境以更好地复制多维感官情境。应对这些挑战将有助于宇航员的健康，并促进有益于太空和地球应用的创新。
