Extra virgin olive oil will be sent into space in 2022

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will bring seven extra virgin olive oils so that her crew can enjoy a meal and see how the oils hold up in space. This spring, an assortment of Italian extra virgin olive oils will be sent to the ISS, located about 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface. "I wouldn't forget to bring olive oil with me, which also gives flavor to anything, even the rehydrated salads we eat here," Samantha said.

Astronauts will consume extra virgin olive oil during meals. One of the oils will be used to study the effect of being in space on the quality of olive oil. High doses of radiation (both cosmic and solar) in space can change some elements of the product. At the same time, the absence of gravity, also called microgravity environment, can also lead to clumping and aggregation of oils. Each of these oils is made from a single variety of olives, not a blend, in order to trace its organoleptic properties. All of them contain a large amount of antioxidants.

The experiment will allow researchers to understand how the composition of olive oil can change in space. Samples of extra virgin olive oil will be returned to Earth from the ISS in 6, 12 or 18 months.