Life Sciences in Space Research xxx (xxxx) xxx Please cite this article as: P. Santhoshkumar et al., Life Sciences in Space Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lssr.2023.08.002 Available online 22 August 2023 2214-5524/© 2023 The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Review article 3D printing for space food applications: Advancements, challenges, and prospects P. Santhoshkumar, Aditi Negi, J.A. Moses * Computational Modeling and Nanoscale Processing Unit, National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management - Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T), Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India, Thanjavur, 613005, Tamil Nadu, India A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Space foods 3D printing Food printing Microgravity Food customization Diet ABSTRACT Space foods closely associate with the performance and mental health of astronauts. Over the years, a range of manufacturing technologies have been explored and advancements in food 3D printing can provide answers to certain existing challenges and revolutionize the way foods are prepared for space exploration missions. Apart from the nutrition and satiety perspective, product shelf-life, variety, personalization, and the need for customized diets are critical considerations. In such long-duration human-crewed space missions, under microgravity conditions and exposure to space, psychological factors heavily affect food consumption patterns. Therefore, there has been a surge in research funding for developing products and methods that offer safe, nutritionally balanced, and delightful food options. 3D food printing could be a creative solution for such re- quirements. While multiple challenges must be addressed, the technology promises waste minimization and the scope for on-site on-demand food preparation. This article begins with fundamental concepts of this subject, provides a timeline of the advancements in the field, and details the futuristic prospects of the technology for long-duration space missions. 1. Introduction Space foods are specially designed for consumption by astronauts and other space travelers during their space missions. In addition to the basic requirements of being nutritious, safe, and palatable (Douglas et al., 2020), considering the space environment and associated restrictions/challenges, foods and preparation materials must be light- weight and convenient to be processed and consumed in a microgravity environment (Cooper et al., 2011). For instance, research reveals that microgravity affects food intake (tasted and evaluated based on the sensorial properties) and food uptake (digestion and absorption) system in the human body (Forde, 2018) compared to the Earth; it increases the deficiency of astronauts’ diets during a mission. Douglas et al. stated that the crewer’s preference for food changes from pre-mission to mission (Douglas et al., 2016). Both ingredients and foods must have appreciable shelf-life, and the entire concept should involve the least resources. If they are to be processed in space, appliances must be ready in space. Given the requirements for longer shelf-life, most foods are either thermally processed or dried, the latter, most commonly with freeze drying. However, very often, food patterns for astronauts become monotonous, and boredom can adversely affect appetite in such long-duration missions. Accordingly, several advancements have happened in the field of space foods, and Fig. 1 attempts to summarize key happenings. This brings to light that both conventional and emerging food manufacturing techniques are being involved in space food develop- ment. One prospective technology is food 3D printing. As an additive manufacturing approach, 3D printing technology has found numerous applications in various industrial applications, including aeronautics and space missions. For instance, with 3D printing, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) developed a 3D-printed rocket without any additional parts; it can carry a load of around 100 kg (Wangchuk, 2023). During missions, astronauts or space travelers can quickly fabricate replacement parts or tools as needed, reducing the time and cost of resupply missions, recycling the damaged parts, and reducing the spacecraft’s mass by 40–90% (Kechagias and Chaidas, 2023; National Research Council, 2014). In addition, 3D printers can conveniently manufacture complex parts that are difficult or impossible to be fabri- cated by traditional manufacturing methods. The approach supports manufacturing necessary items on demand, reducing the need to carry * Corresponding author. E-mail address: moses.ja@iifpt.edu.in (J.A. Moses). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Life Sciences in Space Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/lssr https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lssr.2023.08.002 Received 27 March 2023; Received in revised form 13 July 2023; Accepted 20 August 2023