Military officials have almost perfected the recipe for what's being called the holy grail of meals for soldiers - a special pizza with a shelf life of nearly three years.
Scientists working at a United States Army lab in Massachusetts told the Associated Press that the packaged, ready-to-eat pizza doesn't require refrigeration or freezing, and can be consumed safely, even after three years.
"You can basically take the pizza, leave it on the counter, packaged, for three years and it'd still be edible," food scientist at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center Michelle Richardson told AP this week.
Members of the force reportedly requested pizza as an addition to their meals ready to eat, also known as MREs - small, portable food rations that don't require any preparing.
Soldiers consistently request pizza when asked what food they'd like to have added to their rations each year.
Natick labs scientists, who also redesign soldiers' equipment and uniforms, have long pored over the recipe for the pizza, since the combination of tomato sauce, cheese and various garnishes makes the dough soggy over time. Researchers told AP that bacteria and mold could easily grow in that kind of environment.
But scientists have now refined a technique that keeps moisture out - using a combination of binding ingredients called humectants and heavy packaging, the pizza can be safely eaten in the span of three years. The acidity of the cheese, sauce and dough has also been adjusted slightly to make it more difficult for bacteria to live. Iron fillings were placed inside the package to suck out air, and the humectants - a combination of sugar, syrups and salts - lock out any extra moisture.
Head of the lab Jill Bates told AP that soldiers haven't tasted slices just yet, but that the food resembles a pan pizza with a soft crust.
"It pretty much tastes just like a typical pan pizza that you would make at home and take out of the oven or the toaster oven," she stated. "The only thing missing from that experience would be it's not hot when you eat it. It's room temperature."
Former lieutenant colonel and spokesperson for Natick David Accetta said he'd tried the pizza, and enjoyed the taste.
"In a lot of cases, when you are cold and tired and hungry, having a hot meal that's something that you like and would get at home, it increases your morale - and we consider that to be a force multiplier," Accetta told AP.
