Sauce. The final frontier…
This sauce could be out of this world.
Heinz have launched a new ketchup on store shelves this week made with tomatoes grown in Mars-like conditions.
The prototype Heinz Tomato Ketchup: Marz Edition was made in collaboration with the Aldrin Space Institute at Florida Tech, a private research university.
The experiment was conducted to research the possibility of growing crops on other planets, in response to soil quality degradation on Earth.
Scientists at the institute built a biodome two years ago that recreated conditions found on the red planet, and attempted to grow viable tomatoes there.
Dr Andrew Palmer of Florida Tech headed the project, and is submitting three papers on the experiment for scientific publication.
“Before now, most efforts around discovering ways to grow in Martian simulated conditions are short term plant growth studies”, said Palmer.
“What this project has done is look at long-term harvesting of food.”
The team that worked on the new sauce will be sampling the product live on social media later in the week.
Chief Growth Officer for Kraft Heinz International Christina Kentz shared her excitement for the conclusion of the experiment, and said that the company was committed to growing more sustainable crops in future.
To celebrate the success of the project, a limited-edition bottle of Heinz tomato ketchup was launched into space, where it reached heights of 37,000 feet and temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius.
Irish aeronaut engineer Dr Norah Patten shared her thoughts on the experiment, and the implications that research like this will have to life on Earth.
“Space exploration is all about pushing innovation, increasing collaboration, advancing research and development and looking for many ways that we can use these to benefit life here on Earth”, she said.
This finally answers David Bowies’ age old question; is there sauce on Mars?
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