ENEA’s Breakthrough: Nano Tomatoes for Astronaut Diets in Long-Duration Space Missions

In a significant leap forward, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy, and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) has successfully engineered a nano-sized tomato enriched with antioxidant molecules. This pioneering development holds immense promise for sustaining astronauts during extended space missions, as the nano tomato is designed to withstand the radiation encountered in outer space. The research, conducted within the ambit of the HORTSPACE and BIOxTREME projects, generously funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), has yielded groundbreaking results published in the scientific journals Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences and Frontiers in Plant Sciences.

Silvia Massa, from ENEA’s Biotechnology Laboratory, explains, “In the roadmap of human exploration of deep space, where the Moon serves as a crucial stepping stone toward Mars, astronauts must rely on available resources for self-sustainability.” Massa adds, “These plants will provide fresh and healthy food without the need for resupplies from Earth and will serve as the primary source of high-value molecules, such as antioxidants and biopharmaceuticals, supporting life in future space outposts.”

In this scenario, the confined environment, differing gravitational conditions compared to Earth…