Italian olive oil will be sent into space in 2022

In April, a selection of Italian extra virgin olive oils will be sent to International Space Station (ISS).

The olive oils will be taken to the ISS, located around 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface, by the Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, mission commander.

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A Italian Space Agency confirmed that astronauts should consume extra virgin olive oil with their meals. An oil will be used to study the impact of being in space on quality olive oil.

High doses of radiation (cosmic and solar) in space can modify some elements of the olive oil. At the same time, the lack of gravity, also called a microgravity environment, can also cause the oils to clump and clump together.

As part of their small food supply that astronauts are allowed to take to the ISS to contribute to their standard missionary diet, Cristoforetti chose three monovarietal extra virgin olive oils, made from traditional Italian species: Frantoio, Forget it e Biancolilla.

Additionally, Unaprol, the Italian consortium of olive producers and one of the project partners, said that four separate monovarietal extra virgin olive oils would be offered to other astronauts with specific meals.

“The extra virgin olive oils that will be sent to the ISS are of the highest quality, coming from different regions of Italy,” said Nicola di Noia, CEO of Unaprol.

The experiment will allow researchers to understand how the content and profile of olive oil can change in space. Some samples of extra virgin olive oil will be brought back to Earth after six months, 12 months and 18 months on the ISS.

Back on Earth, the international scientific team will study the chemical profiles of each sample of extra virgin olive oil to establish possible changes that occurred in space. The olive oils will also be tasted to determine how their quality has been affected by time spent in space.

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The extra virgin olive oils selected by Coldiretti and Unaprol share a high antioxidant profile that is specifically relevant to those facing psychophysical conditions of intense stress, such as astronauts, the agency added.

Samantha Cristoforetti is scheduled to arrive at the ISS on April 15, 2022, in a SpaceX Dragon capsule.