Heinz Marz Edition, the first Martian ketchup is about to arrive
Heinz Marz Edition
In the near future, astronauts and space explorers of all levels will be able to enjoy much more appetizing dishes than what they are currently accustomed to, since they will be able to season their dishes with the "Martian" ketchup produced by Heinz, a real backbone of the food industry.image by Heinz
Last Monday, November 8, Heinz previewed a bottle of Marz Edition ketchup, a sauce made with the same type of tomatoes of high quality that the company uses for its normal ketchup (link Amazon), but grown this time in an artificial environment that reproduces in all respects the harsh environmental conditions of the Martian surface.
The realization of the ketchup Heinz Marz Edition, was made possible by two years of research conducted by a team of astrobiologists from the Aldrin Space Institute, which is also part of the Florida Institute of Technology y.
image by Heinz
Cristina Kenz, chief growth officer of Kraft Heinz International Zone, said in a statement that the company is extremely proud that their experts have succeeded in the company of growing tomatoes in the exact same conditions that can be found on the surface of another planet, and are also proud to be able to share their success with the whole world, the result of two years of commitment and which, they are certain, will bring Heinz Tomato Ketchup brand straight into the future.
Although not currently available for purchase yet, a batch of the Marz Edition ketchup was unveiled at Heinz's Pittsburgh headquarters, where experimental sauce has passed the strict company quality tests, essential to obtain approval, and thus become certified bottles of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.
Fourteen members of the Aldrin Space Institute team, led by Dr. Andrew Palmer, presented the first of three articles, intended for scientific publication, describing the Heinz mission. The institute, founded in 2015, was created to promote a permanent human presence on Mars and maintain the scientific and technical legacy of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first people to walk on the Moon.
New Heinz Marz Edition ketchup has implications that go far beyond flavor
© Heinz Ketchup is catching up in the space race.First came the billionaires, then the movie stars -- now ketchup is making its mark on the space race.
Heinz revealed its first 'Marz Edition' ketchup with tomatoes produced on Earth in Mars-like conditions. A team of 14 astrobiologists worked for nine months at the Aldrin Space Institute at the Florida Institute of Technology, growing tomatoes in a controlled environment with soil, temperature and water conditions similar to Mars.
Former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino said ketchup made from conventional Earth tomatoes has been a staple condiment in space to spruce up dehydrated meals, but the Marz Edition variety has implications that go far beyond flavor. The experiment, which has been two years in the making, demonstrates the possibility of long-term food production on Mars.
'Before now, most efforts around discovering ways to grow in Martian-simulated conditions are short-term plant growth studies. What this project has done is look at long-term food harvesting. Achieving a crop that is of a quality to become Heinz Tomato Ketchup was the dream result and we achieved it,' said Andrew Palmer, who led the team at the Aldrin Space Institute at Florida Tech.
NASA has also experimented with plant harvesting in space to provide astronauts with more nutrients for their freeze-dried diets. (Apparently, the human body can't survive off freeze-dried ice cream.) The International Space Station recently hosted a taco party after harvesting the first chile peppers on the station -- ketchup could be the taco party's next guest. There has been discussion of sending a tomato-growing experiment to the space station, said NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough on Friday.
The research team and Massimino will be the first to taste final product on Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. ET. You can watch the historic event on Heinz's social media channels, such as Twitter and Instagram.
The Martian ketchup is not available for purchase, but if you ever find yourself heading to Mars, that might be one thing you don't have to pack.
© Heinz A team of 14 astrobiologists worked for nine months at the Aldrin Space Institute of Florida Tech, growing tomatoes in a simulated environment.
