{"id":269430,"date":"2025-08-20T01:35:04","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T15:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-443177"},"modified":"2025-08-20T01:35:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T15:35:04","slug":"what-is-bionutrients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=269430","title":{"rendered":"What is BioNutrients?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A series of biology experiments, called BioNutrients, is testing ways to use microorganisms to produce nutrients \u2013 off Earth and on demand \u2013 that will be critical for human health in space.<\/em><\/p>\n

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For the BioNutrients-1 experiment, the specially engineered yeast and its powdered food source are held in the container at the left. Its lid holds a membrane that allows carbon dioxide from the yeast to escape. The clear tube at right protects another filter system leading into the compartment with the microorganisms. To activate the yeast and begin the experiment, astronauts on board the space station will inject water through the filter, making it sterile. The water will dissolve the nutrient powder and the yeast will grow and multiply in this liquid environment, producing an important nutrient for human health.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Dominic Hart<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Editor’s note: This article was updated on Aug. 19, 2025, to clarify which BioNutrients experiments in the series are completed and adds new information about the upcoming experiment, BioNutrients-3.<\/p>\n

In the future, NASA\u2019s long-duration human exploration missions to the Moon and Mars will require minimizing the amounts of supplies launched, increasing reuse and recycling, and using local resources to make crucial products for crew during spaceflight. Certain supplies, such as vitamins, have a limited shelf life and are most effective freshly made. To meet these needs, NASA is developing technologies to biomanufacture valuable products on-demand.<\/p>\n

Sailors might have avoided scurvy if NASA had been around in the age of exploration on the high seas. The condition is caused by a vitamin C deficiency, and many people died from spending months at sea without fresh fruits and vegetables. In the age of exploration into deep space, astronauts, too, will need a way to get the right nutrition. Planning new ways to supply food for a multi-year mission on the Moon or Mars may require making food and nutrients in space. NASA scientists are testing an early version of a potential solution: get microorganisms to produce vital nutrients so that, whenever they\u2019re needed, astronauts can drink them down. The same kind of system designed for space also could help provide nutrition for people in remote areas of our planet.<\/p>\n

Microbial Nutrient Factories<\/h2>\n

With an experiment called BioNutrients-1 \u2013 the first of a series of studies, that was launched to the International Space Station in April 2019 \u2013 astronauts aboard the orbiting lab helped test a new system over the course of nearly six years. BioNutrients-1 was developed by scientists at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley using this strategy: take a safe organism already present in our food (in this case, baker\u2019s yeast), modify it so that it produces an essential nutrient, and build the right hardware to let astronauts grow the yeast in space. Like tiny living factories, the microorganisms will go about making the desired product. The nutrients that the yeast will produce in this experiment are called beta carotene and zeaxanthin. These are antioxidants usually found in vegetables, and they\u2019re critical for keeping our eyes healthy.<\/p>\n

Although astronauts on the space station did not consume anything for the BioNutrients-1 experiment, they conducted multiple rounds of tests on the system. For each test, they added sterile water to a mixture of dehydrated yeast and its powdered food source, mixed well and kept the packets warm for 48 hours. Then, they froze the samples to be analyzed later, back on Earth. NASA scientists checked how the system performed, including how much yeast grew in the packets and how much nutrient the experiment produced.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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The microorganisms at the heart of the BioNutrients-1 experiment and their powdered food source (shown here) are loaded into the hardware for spaceflight using sterile techniques. Astronauts on the International Space Station will help test the BioNutrients system\u2019s ability to use yeast cells as tiny factories to produce essential nutrients for human health.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Dominic Hart<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Essential (Nutrients) for Exploration <\/strong><\/h2>\n

An on-demand nutrient production system like this will be vital for human exploration, because it may not be possible to provide complete nutrition from stored foods during a multi-year mission. What\u2019s more, even with a supply of nutritional supplements, many nutrients have a limited shelf life. Some things, like vitamins, also work better in their fresh form than in a processed tablet.<\/p>\n

Space station crew members performed tests on different yeast types, periodically, over the course of the BioNutrients-1 experiment. This allowed scientists to check how long their specially engineered yeast stays good on the shelf and able to churn out fresh nutrients that humans will need to stay healthy in space.<\/p>\n

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NASA researchers John Hogan (left) and Kevin Sims (right) at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley apply labels and inspect assembled nutrient production packs prior to the launch of BioNutrients-1 to the International Space Station. The tiny labels require precise alignment: the markings on them will help the crew know if they need to tighten the lid before rehydrating the microorganisms inside, ensuring they grow in sterile conditions.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Dominic Hart<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The BioNutrients-1 system tested two types of yeast with different \u201clifestyles\u201d in the nutrient-production packets. One makes spores as part of its lifecycle. Spores are a dormant form of microorganisms that are highly stable and radiation tolerant. The microorganisms must maintain viability when stored for long durations \u2013 potentially in the high-radiation deep space environment \u2013 so spores are likely the optimal form for storage. Yeast in this form should stay stable for at least five years, thereby providing a reasonable \u201cshelf life\u201d for use during long-term human exploration missions on the Moon or to the surface of Mars.<\/p>\n

The other yeast species does not form spores; they flew as vegetative \u2013 or metabolically active \u2013 cells, which are expected to have a shorter shelf life than spores. However, scientists are interested in this type for other reasons. People are widely consuming this same yeast in the form of commercially available probiotic supplements. More yeast species, of this same \u201cactive\u201d type, are available to scientists for potential use in future nutrient production systems, so understanding how they work could be important for the research.<\/p>\n

As an additional part of the BioNutrients-1 investigation, the researchers studied the shelf life of other types of microorganisms \u2013 different from the two types of yeast tested in the production packs \u2013 to track how well the various organisms function during the planned five-year span in space, and what genetic features allow them to survive for the long haul. Samples of these specially prepared biomanufacturing and probiotic microorganisms were stored on the station and periodically returned to Earth for analysis. As of May 2025, some of the returned samples still show viability beyond five years.<\/p>\n

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Researchers Natalie Ball (left) and Hiromi Kagawa (right) at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley assemble the BioNutrients-1 hardware in preparation for an experiment aboard the International Space Station. Kagawa is attaching a one-way valve that will be connected to a filter. When astronaut crew members inject water into the hardware through this filter, it will be sterilized before rehydrating the experiment\u2019s microorganisms and allowing them to grow.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Dominic Hart<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BioNutrients-2<\/h2>\n

The BioNutrients-2 investigation launched to the space station in November 2022. This phase of the study built on early results from BioNutrients-1 and incorporated several new features. The overall goal was to test an on-demand system to produce specific amounts of key nutrients using minimal equipment.<\/p>\n

BioNutrients-2 broadened the types of microorganism being tested. It used the same two yeast strains used in BioNutrients-1 and added four new types. This includes two microorganisms that produce yogurt, one that produces a fermented milk product known as kefir, and another type of yeast specially prepared to produce follistatin, a protein linked to maintaining muscle mass.<\/p>\n

The entire range of microorganism types were tested in BioNutrients-2\u2019s new hardware. The system uses lightweight, flexible bags \u2013 a form factor comparable to existing crew food products \u2013 rather than the rigid containers being tested for BioNutrients-1. This change reduced the mass and the volume of the system, offering advantages for long duration spaceflight when volume and mass are limited.<\/p>\n

Two experiment runs were performed for each sample type: the first in January 2023, approximately 45-60 days after launch, and the second in May 2023, approximately six months after launch. During each run a crew member aboard the space station retrieved four bags of a given sample type, added water, agitated the bags to mix the contents, and placed the bags in an incubator to promote growth. At the end of the run, the crew removed the bags from the incubator and froze them. The bags were later returned to Earth, still frozen, for analysis.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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View of the BioNutrients-3 packs containing growth media, engineered yeast, and water. These include a color-changing indicator that naturally occurs in red cabbage and allows a way to visually track fermentation progress. As the yogurt and kefir cultures ferment, the level of acid rises and the color seen in the mix changes from purple to pink. Here, a bag containing a purple-colored mix (left) is seen before growth, Another bag shows the pink colored mix after growth (right.) The board behind the bags provides a reference for the starting and ending colors.<\/div>\n
NASA\/ Brandon Torres<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BioNutrients-3<\/h2>\n

The BioNutrients-3 investigation is planned to launch to the space station in August 2025 aboard NASA\u2019s SpaceX CRS-33 mission<\/a>. This experiment builds on results from the BioNutrients-1 and BioNutrients-2 investigations and incorporates new food safety features.<\/p>\n

This project aims to develop a platform biomanufacturing technology that demonstrates microbial production of targeted nutrients for long-duration space missions. The concept is similar to making familiar fermented foods, such as how milk \u2013 transformed by bacteria \u2013 becomes yogurt. But in this case, there is a focus on the production of very specific quantities and qualities of nutritious products using substantially less time and infrastructure than traditional crop-based production methods.<\/p>\n

BioNutrients-3 uses production bags similar to BioNutrients-2, but larger in size to accommodate an increased sample volume needed for food safety testing. This study includes the same commercial yogurt and kefir starters used in BioNutrients-2 and adds yeast strains that have been bioengineered to produce multiple nutrients in a single bag.<\/p>\n

Additionally, for BioNutrients-3, the growth substrate \u2013 the ingredients needed to sustain the microorganisms as they grow, including a color-changing indicator of the level of acidity in yogurt and kefir samples \u2013 is fully edible. Although crew will not be consuming BioNutrients-3 samples, eventually such products may be consumed by crew in future investigations.<\/p>\n

This color-changing indicator of acidity naturally occurs in red cabbage. The indicator allows a way to visually track fermentation progress. As the yogurt and kefir cultures ferment, the level of acid rises, and the color seen in the mix changes from purple to pink.<\/p>\n

As in previous BioNutrients experiments, station crew will add water to each production bag and agitate the bags to mix the contents. Crew will visually compare yogurt and kefir samples to a color reference scale before placing the bags into an incubator. Depending on the sample type, the incubation duration ranges from six to 48 hours with intermediate visual inspections and\/or agitation time points.<\/p>\n

After crew remove the bags from the incubator, they will perform additional steps on some of the samples including pasteurization to kill microorganisms in the sample using the space station galley\u2019s food warmer and a demonstration of the feasibility of using a NASA sensor called \u201celectronic nose\u201d \u2013 E-Nose, for short. The sensor simulates an ultra-sensitive nose and can be used to detect pathogens. Additionally, crew will test a technique for culturing yogurt by using a bit of yogurt from a finished bag to seed a new batch, much like maintaining a sourdough bread starter.<\/p>\n

After conclusion of operations, all samples will be frozen and returned to Earth for analysis.<\/p>\n

Making Molecules and Medicines in Remote Places<\/h2>\n

This technology NASA is developing for future astronauts could also be used by people living in remote areas on Earth today. Results from the study will tell NASA scientists a lot about how to produce other molecules that will be critical for human health in space, including medicines for treating various ailments. Promising research is under way now to use microbes in a range of space applications. By developing microorganisms that can withstand long periods of inactivity and be revived successfully, BioNutrients is taking steps toward making that future a reality.<\/p>\n

Milestones:\u200b <\/h4>\n

BioNutrients-1\u200b <\/h4>\n