Insect food in space

Abstract

The question addressed here is how to produce palatable food on long-term space flights and during extended tenancy in space colonies. That will be done in closed ecosystems that must be stable, robust, resilient, and sustainable. In these, because of their size, insects will be an obvious food choice. A number of species have been proposed, their suitability based on characteristics such as their capacity to be reared at high densities, ability to convert organic waste, a short life cycle and a high feed conversion ratio, resistance to diseases, good nutrition and organoleptic qualities as well as being safe for human consumption. A shift to insects as food will require dietary adaptation, but will also provide many opportunities for innovation.