El miso fermentado en el espacio sabe igual que el de la Tierra, pero más tostado

A group of researchers wanted to test whether fermentation could be carried out in space. To do this, they chose miso, a soybean paste rich in umami, and produced it on the International Space Station (ISS).

Scientists sent three batches of "miso in process" to the ISS to ferment for 30 days. Upon their return to Earth, they compared its smell and taste to two varieties of miso fermented on the planet: one in Massachusetts and the other in Denmark.

The miso in space smelled and tasted just like its terrestrial counterpart, with a slightly more toasted and nutty flavor. It had also acquired a darker color and higher levels of microbes, due to the warmer temperatures aboard the ISS.

"Fermentation [on the ISS] demonstrates how a living system at the microbial scale can thrive thanks to the diversity of its microbial community, underscoring the potential for life in space," says co-author Maggie Coblentz of MIT.

Innovation could lead to new forms of culinary expression and expand research in food development by exploring how flavors evolve with certain "spatial modifications".