Design of Versatile Food Extruder, Phase I

This proposal addresses the need for food processing equipment for crews on long-term Advanced Life Support Systems (ALSS) missions. It is proposed to design a food extruder that will efficiently process wheat and rice flour into breakfast-cereal-type food. In addition, the design will incorporate an oil extraction system for peanuts, and a milling/grinding system for wheat, rice, soybean and peanuts. The design of this food processing system will rely on the use of a single lightweight motor, with interchangeable attachments to do the extrusion, oil extraction, and milling/grinding. This work will merge the extruder-building expertise of Wayne Machine & Die Co. with the food processing expertise of Rutgers University's Food Science team to produce a unique and versatile food processor design for the planetary surface missions. The deliverable of this project will be a complete engineering design of a food processing system, including AutoCAD drawings from which the hardware could be manufactured in a Phase II contract.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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