So that you don’t have wasted fertilizer that pollutes our lakes or lagoons,” said Palmer.During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. “As we think about sustainable agriculture here, the same concerns about inputs need to be considered here, right? So as we develop modern agriculture, some of you know our green revolution that we’re trying to generate now, part of that is knowing exactly how much fertilizer you’re using and optimizing that so that you don’t get run off right. But Palmer said that the information would also benefit agricultural systems here on earth.
The information is crucial for trying to duplicate the experiment on Mars. Palmer’s team documented every part of the process: fertilizer used, details of the water used, and temperatures. Though the project is now over, the research has cross-planetary implications. From analyzing the soil from Martian conditions two years ago to harvesting now, it’s been a journey that’s proved wherever we end up, HEINZ Tomato Ketchup will still be enjoyed for generations to come,” Cristina Kenz, chief growth officer for Kraft Heinz International Zone, said. “We’re so excited that our team of experts has been able to grow tomatoes in conditions found on another planet and share our creation with the world. Heinz was most certainly crowing about the achievement. However, after a second read-through, Palmer realized Heinz was interested in partnering with his lab to cultivate Martian tomatoes, said Palmer. The two-year partnership started with an email that Palmer initially thought was a prank. “For me the biggest thing was smell.They have very strong like tomato quality smell to them,” Palmer said. When Palmer and his team tried the tomatoes, he said they tasted like tomatoes grown from normal soil.
Heinz has “Tomato Masters” who inspect the quality of the tomatoes grown to ensure that they meet professional food-grade standards. The tomatoes produced under these conditions were held to high standards, said Palmer.
The tomatoes grew in a greenhouse at Florida Tech’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design in Palm Bay referred to as the “Red House.” Temperatures at the Red House fluctuated between 73 and 83 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on if it was nighttime or daytime, Palmer said. Though the regolith is dry and fine, the team found that it didn’t require more water to sustain the plants than it would have with normal soil. To mimic Martian regolith, the team used 7,800 pounds of soil from the Mojave Desert - a terracotta-colored grit that is similar to Martian regolith, according to a statement released by the Florida Institute of Technology. Regolith “doesn’t have any organic matter, so there’s nothing alive.so there’s not a lot of organic material there,” said Palmer. According to Palmer, the key difference is that Martian soil isn’t really soil. One of the biggest hurdles with producing food on Mars, Palmer said, is the difference between Earth and Martian soil. What this project has done is look at long-term food harvesting,” said Palmer in a news release from Heinz. “Before now, most efforts around discovering ways to grow in Martian-simulated conditions are short-term plant growth studies. There was serious science behind it with implications for life on earth as well as on the red planet as scientists look to grow food in poor soils.
While Heinz has no plans to sell any of its Marz Edition ketchup just yet, the project represents more than just space-age, pop-culture marketing. “The team successfully yielded a crop of Heinz tomatoes, from the brand’s proprietary tomato seeds, with the exacting qualities that pass the rigorous quality and taste standards to become its iconic ketchup,” the company said in a statement. Heinz was certainly proud of the accomplishment that took two years to complete.