A group of 11 ISU students, known as the Food Product Development Team, is perfecting a recipe that will turn the by-product of soy milk production, called okara (oh-CAR-a), into pizza crust.

The crust will be entered in NASA’s second annual Food Technology Competition in April. Two NASA officials and three food industry professionals will judge the competition.

Cheryll Reitmeier, education mission specialist at the NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center in Ames, said this isn’t just a “taste” competition.

“[The team] has to consider the physical properties of eating in space,” said Reitmeier, associate professor of food science and human nutrition. “[The food] has to taste good and be safe to eat. It needs to be lightweight and storable. It must be nutritious and fairly easy to prepare in a micro-gravity environment.”

Reitmeier said crumbs are one of the more interesting challenges for culinary art in space.

“The food should not produce crumbs,” Reitmeier said. “Crumbs take up space in the space capsule.”

Although only a minor inconvenience on Earth, crumbs are a potential health risk in space, as astronauts could unknowingly breathe in crumbs suspended in the space capsule.

Another aspect of judging is the product’s potential terrestrial use.

“We would like to see a space and an earth use,” Reitmeier said.

Team member Theresa Walters said the team is interested in the many uses of okara, both in space and on Earth.

“Okara might be great in space, but [the pizza crust] is not being specifically made just for space,” said Walters, senior in food science. “I think most people have come to recognize soy as a good food source.”

Lester Wilson, professor of food science and human nutrition, said okara storage is becoming a problem similar to that of recyclable aluminum cans crowding landfills, and developing recipes that incorporate okara into everyday meals may be the answer.

“We are aware of okara and concerned with what to do with it,” said Safir Moizuddin, the team’s captain. “In space, recycle-ability is very crucial.”

Moizuddin said leftovers are not welcome in space.

“We have developed a secondary product that incorporates the insoluble solids [left after the production of soy milk], the okara, into a pizza crust,” said Moizuddin, graduate student in food science and human nutrition.

The pizza crust is a “second-generation” soy food, or a prepared food that is made with soy protein. Yogurt made with soy also fits into this category.

Recycling biomass

Okara is what remains after water is pressed out of soybeans during soy milk production. It is pale yellow and has a consistency similar to brown sugar when wet. When dried and ground, it more closely resembles cornmeal. Wilson described okara as “cell material, seed coat material, cellulose, that’s really dietary fiber.”

Wilson said okara is, in essence, biomass that should be recycled.

“Because you don’t want cellulose floating around in a beverage, you press it out to make soy milk,” Wilson said. “You then have to find a way to use it, because in space you have to recycle everything.”

The pizza crust recipe includes a variation of wheat or bread flour, wet or dry okara, sugar, salt, soy oil, yeast and water.

The team is refining an idea Iowa State presented at the Food Technology Competition last year. Then, it lost to “Chomp,” a cereal bar created by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“The feedback was so positive, it was suggested that we work out some technical problems in the presentation and resubmit,” Moizuddin said.

The team is now perfecting its recipe. Members are busy experimenting with different amounts of okara in the dough, whether the okara should be wet or dry, and cooking time and temperature.

“In space it would be easier to use the wet okara, because the astronauts would not have to grind it,” said team member Stanley Prawiradjaja, graduate student in food science and human nutrition.

“If the okara is wet it will be diluted, but it will be cheaper, quicker and easier to use,” Wilson said. “Also, the water already in the okara will be used to replace what you would have had to add.”

Faculty adviser Mark Love said the team is making progress.

“They have refined baking times and are in better shape for a coherent recipe,” said Love, associate professor of food science and human nutrition. Love said it is hard for astronauts to eat due to fatigue, so the team is continuing to work on reducing the preparation time of the crust.

“They are working with the science of bread production. They are demonstrating their knowledge of food ingredients in the production of an acceptable product,” Love said.

Pizza in space

The pizza crust is being developed under the assumption that soybeans will one day be grown in space.

Love explained on a long mission to the moon or to Mars, where micro-gravity exists, soybeans could be grown in a biosphere.

“They are talking about using hydroponics to grow the soybeans,” Wilson said. “That would mean putting the plants in a liquid and nutrient bath, then monitoring the light and temperature.”

Love said soybeans could be processed to create soy milk and okara. The pizza crust uses the okara and eliminates waste.

“If you are in an environment where you have the space to grow the food, you’re going to want to be able to use every part of it,” Walters said. “It’s like our grandmothers; we don’t want to throw anything away.”

Wilson said making soy milk is similar to making coffee or tea. Mature, dry soybeans are soaked in water for eight to 12 hours, rinsed and ground. Wilson said water is added while grinding the beans and then the water is extracted. The seed coat or cellulose – the okara – must then be filtered out. Wilson said cheesecloth could be used for filtering at home.

.And it’s good for you

Wilson said the high fiber content of okara makes it unique.

“It is a little different from wheat or oat flour. It’s more than just fibers that we can’t digest. Some help reduce risk for heart problems and some types of cancer,” he said. “We know dietary fiber is very important.”

Okara also has protein fat and some sugars.

Wilson emphasized the importance of proper nutrition in space. Dehydration and bone loss are space-related health hazards.

“It is important to maintain [the astronauts’ health] as best you can,” Wilson said. “Foods have to taste good so they will be eaten, and care must be taken to ensure proper processing.

“[Astronauts] are already dehydrated. If they got a food-borne illness, the symptoms usually cause the loss of water, which could cause death.”

The variation of the pizza crust the team was working with in March had a somewhat grainy taste and wheat flavor. The Product Development Team is working three hours each week in the test kitchen to ensure the process of making the pizza crust is clearly detailed and easy to understand.

Soy-based foods are healthful because of the protein and fiber naturally absorbed from such foods. According to www.soy. com, a Silicon Valley-based Internet resource, soybeans contain 38 percent protein by weight.

The World Health Organization has established that soy protein contains enough of all essential amino acids to meet human needs, when consumed at the recommended level of protein intake. Wilson said soy protein and meat proteins are essentially the same, which is another reason soy plays an important role in the maintenance diet required in space.

Only time, and space, will tell – but okara-based pizza crust could “take off” and one day be an option alongside thin, thick and stuffed-crust pizza.