日本計劃釀造“太空啤酒”

A Japanese brewery Tuesday said it was planning the first "space beer," using offspring of barley once stored at the International Space Station.

Researchers said the project was part of efforts to prepare for a future in which humans spend extended periods of time in space -- and might like a cold beer after a space walk.

Japanese brewery Sapporo Holdings said it would make beer using the third generation of barley grains that had spent five months on the International Space Station in 2006.

"We want to finish the beer by November. It will be the first space beer," Sapporo executive Junichi Ichikawa told reporters.

The company will have enough space grain to produce about 100 bottles of beer but has no immediate plan to make it a commercial venture, Sapporo officials said.

The company teamed up on the project with Okayama University biologist Manabu Sugimoto, who has been part of a Russian space project to explore ways to grow edible plants in space.

Barley can grow in relatively tough environments, such as high and low temperatures, and is rich in fibre and nutrients, making it ideal for space agriculture, the professor said.

"In the future, we may reach a point where humans will spend an extended period of time in space and must grow food to sustain ourselves," Sugimoto said.

As of now, scientists have not detected any differences between Earth-grown and space barley, said Sugimoto, who will present DNA analysis of his findings at a conference in Canada in July.

"In the long run, we hope our space research will be not just about producing food, but about enjoying food and relaxing," Sugimoto said.

It was the latest space experiment with food.

South Korea's first astronaut, Yi So-Yeon, brought kimchi into space last month, while Japan has previously sent noodles into orbit.

日本一家啤酒製造商於本週二宣佈，他們正計劃生產（人類歷史上的）首款“太空啤酒”，這種啤酒將以曾在國際空間站保存過的太空大麥“後代”爲原料。

研究人員稱，這一項目是爲將來人類長時間呆在太空所做的很多準備之一，也許以後宇航員在太空行走後能來杯冰啤酒。

日本札幌啤酒釀造控股公司說，他們將採用曾於2006年在國際空間站呆了五個月的太空大麥的第三代爲原料釀造“太空啤酒”。

札幌控股的主管渡邊川昆在接受記者採訪時說：“我們希望在11月份釀出成品。這將成爲人類歷史上的首款‘太空啤酒’。”

札幌啤酒公司現有的太空大麥能釀造出約100瓶“太空啤”，但該公司暫時還沒有將這款啤酒投入商業運作的計劃。

目前，札幌控股正與日本岡山大學的生物學家杉本學合作開發這一項目。杉本學一直在參與俄羅斯太空食用作物項目的開發與研究。

杉本學教授說，大麥可在高溫或低溫等相對惡劣的環境中生長，而且大麥富含纖維和營養，是一種理想的太空作物。

杉本學說：“將來人類在太空上的時間可能會越來越長，所以我們必須要種糧食實現自給。”

他說，目前科學家還沒有發現地球上種植的大麥與太空大麥有什麼不同。杉本學教授將於七月份在加拿大召開的一個研討會上提交他的研究結果DNA分析報告。

杉本學說：“從長遠來說，我們希望我們的太空研究不僅僅是如何生產出食物，還要關注如何享用太空食物和休閒放鬆。”

“太空啤酒”是目前最新的一個太空食品試驗項目。

韓國首位宇航員李素妍於上月將韓國泡菜帶入太空，日本也曾帶麪條進入太空。