was 8.1, "like very much." The mean female rating, on the other hand, 

 was 4.8, "dislike slightly to neither like nor dislike." 



Other items which were liked by the male groups but not the female groups 

 included spaghetti and meat, green beans, broccoli, and ham loaf. The 

 women rated French toast and pancakes higher than the men did. 



Specific food items which were extremely well accepted (mean rating of 7 

 or more) included sirloin steak (frozen), baked chicken (frozen) braised 

 beef tips, short ribs (frozen), fudge brownies, both spice and Swiss 

 chocolate, cakes, and vanilla ice cream. Dixie chicken (frozen), pot roast 

 (freeze-dried) , beef almondine (freeze-dried) , and all desserts also re- 

 ceived high overall ratings. 



Salisbury steak was the least accepted item of all foods rated and was 

 only used for two dives. Data for Dive 3 indicated that acceptance of 

 that product decreased considerably as it was repeated. 



Most of the aquanauts stated that food became monotonous at some point 

 during the dive. During Dives 2, 3, and 4, preplated frozen food was used 

 almost exclusively. On subsequent dives, a greater variety of foods includ- 

 ing dehydrated and thermo stabilized items were introduced into the system. 

 The data indicates that if a food system provides little or no variety in 

 the physical state of the food served, the food will become monotonous more 

 quickly than when a system is comprised of different food types. This 

 point is substantiated by the fact that during Dives 2, 3, and 4, when the 

 food was primarily preplated frozen meals, monotony was experienced after 

 about five days. With similar frozen foods supplemented with dehydrated 

 and thermostabilized foods, food monotony was not experienced until around 

 the tenth day on subsequent dives. This increase in the span of interest in 

 the food is also correlated to some degree with the first repetition of the 

 menu cycle which was increased after the first series of dives. 



It may be concluded on this point that to sustain interest and food accep- 

 tance in the food, it is necessary to vary type of food and to provide a 

 menu cycle of at least six or seven days. 



Addressing the question of the acceptability of prolonged use of frozen food, 

 it may be stated that in cases where preservation by freezing provides a 

 highly desirable item in its most acceptable form, the use of frozen foods is 

 advisable. Indiscriminate use or total reliance upon frozen food, however, 

 as sole source of sustenance, detracts from the acceptance of food items 

 which could be preserved by other means, thus adding variety in menu items. 



Determination of the effect of variation in food texture, color and serving 

 techniques on overall acceptability were difficult to quantitate. Any state- 

 ment concerning this area will, because of the nature of the information 

 received, have to be quite general- 



VIII-93 



