99E-4 |
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J. G. GANDOLPH1, J. R. Burgess2, M. H. Perchonok3, B. A. Watkins1, and L. J. Mauer1. (1) Dept. of Food Science, Purdue Univ., 745 Agriculture Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907-2009, (2) Dept. of Foods & Nutrition, Purdue Univ., 1264 Stone Hall, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1264, (3) National Space Biomedical Research Instititute, NASA-Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Rd. 1, Mail Code SF3, Houston, TX 77058 As NASA advances into the future of space travel the development of a safe, nutritious, palatable food system is of the utmost importance for the survival and well being of the astronauts. With extended duration space flight missions, such as a manned mission to Mars, many exciting bold challenges and discoveries will be encountered, but there is also one unavoidable hazard to be dealt with, radiation. Current estimates for radiation exposure on a proposed Mars mission are approximately 1 sievert. Radiation poses not only a threat to human health, but also to the quality of the food. Antioxidants will play an important role as countermeasures for radiation effects on the astronauts either through the diet or by supplementation. That is why it is necessary to understand the effects that space relevant radiation will have on these antioxidant compounds. The objective was to quantify the effect of space-relevant radiation doses on the loss of antioxidant capacity of certain compounds including vitamins E, C, and β-carotene, and also to identify radiation threshold levels at which loss of antioxidant capacity was observed in these antioxidants. Samples were subjected to a range of γ-radiation exposure levels (up to 5 Gy) and storage times. The Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay was utilized to monitor the changes in antioxidant capacity due to treatment. Results showed that, with increased radiation exposure and storage time, a decrease in the effectiveness of the sample to act as an antioxidant was found. The ability of antioxidants to serve as a bioprotectants from radiation, in the human body and food, is crucial to the success of extended duration space exploration. The determination of levels at which these compounds will lose their efficacy will further the advancement in the developing food system.
Session 99E, Nonthermal Processing: General II
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |