Natick Army Labs Puts New Food to the Test

Right across from Cochituate State park and the ,  the Army Soldier Systems Center is using the best and the brightest to create food in an unusual way.

Featuring an advanced food processing laboratory the facility includes a dough sheeter that “automatically or manually rolls out various types of bread, pizza dough and pastries to a predetermined thickness...”  While that may be impressive the lab can also study the effects of pressure on food up to 80,000 psi and temperatures up to 70 degrees Celsius. Another station can identify up to 2,000 species of bacteria, yeast and fungi.

Natick Labs has a compression tester billed as a “fully automated” test system used to determine the  “load carrying capacity, or long term stacking strength of large packages.” Scientists also simulate the affect that a drop from a shipping container would have on a package of food. At the same time a vibration table simulates the affects of railroad cars, trucks and aircraft on the packages, while a parachute prototype team in Natick is on hand to design parachutes and harnesses and can respond quickly to the millitary’s pressing needs.

For vegetarians (which represent 2.5% of the US population) the Natick Labs has come up with menus that include vegetable lasagna and veggie burger in BBQ sauce or cheese tortellini, and penne with vegetarian sausage in spicy tomato sauce. According to the Army, the meals include dairy and egg products, but prohibits animal products such as beef, pork, poultry, animal by-products or alcohol.  

Natick Labs food scientists have to think about different constraints, said Evan Bick from the Department of Defense Feeding Directorate. He says that MRE’s have to be ready in any environment without any access to refrigeration. Many military rations undergo a process similar to canning that uses heat and pressure that destroys and bacteria in the food. At the same time the packaging keeps out heat, air and moisture. MRE’s Packages must be able to withstand falls of up to 100 feet without being damaged and must meet nutritional standards.