Posted on 04/12/2002 9:19:19 AM PDT by Tai_Chung
PARIS - The US military has devised the world's first ''indestructible sandwich'' - designed to survive airdrops and extreme temperatures and still be edible several years later.
Experts at the US Army Soldier Systems Centre in Natick, Massachusetts, came up with the sandwich as a means of supplementing battlefield rations, New Scientist reports.
It is a cunning balance of smart packaging, clever filling and water content, because moisture and air encourage mould.
The food experts crafted chunky fillings such as pepperoni and barbecued chicken to which they added humectants - substances that prevent the water from leaking out.
The sandwiches were then sealed, without pasteurisation, in laminated plastic pouches that included sachets of chemicals to suck out any lingering oxygen molecules, thus denying bugs the air to breathe and multiply.
The snacks are designed to stay ''fresh'' for up to three years at 26 deg C or for six months at 38 deg C.
Guinea-pig GIs have tasted the two experimental varieties of sandwiches and deemed them ''acceptable'', says the report.
Scientists are now going to extend the menu to include mini pizzas, bagels and burritos.
I don't think that the salt pork eaten by the 1700-era sailing navies was eaten after having been laid-in for 20 years.
The beef slices were rather tasty though, when eaten with tabasco and hot mustard powder.
Sounds fair to me. Can I compete in the prune skin category?
Suspect we will not be here for the event.
Headed south in a couple of days.
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