The ineffectiveness of supplements is proof enough of science's infancy when it comes to synthesizing nutrients. Michael Pollan touched on this in In Defense of Food, that food scientists may be able to extract and turn vitamin C into a capsule, however, the effect of the vitamin in isolation is negligible or cannot definitively be proven to be effective, compared to when it is consumed with all the other constituents of an actual orange, how they all work in combination with one another.
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| Wonka, W: pioneering food scientist and sadist |
We cannot manufacture anything approaching the complexity of a vegetable, at this point. And even if we could, why would you want to? All the examples cited in the piece speak to the aforementioned issue, that we cannot invent such things without there being a raft of unpleasant and dangerous side effects, unless gallbladder snafus are your idea of minor inconvenience.
Furthermore, the benefits and pleasures of eating encompass experiences that cannot be distilled into a capsule/loaf/paste, like sight, aroma and texture. From the colours of tomatoes (red, orange, yellow, purple, green) to the scent of fresh thyme to the rich, crunchy mouthfeel of Brazil nuts...no wonder the astronauts longed for something edible that was more than a loaf of utilitarian calories.
Disclaimer: I am amenable to altering my opinion if Lindt, Callebaut, Nestlé et al come up with a Willy Wonka-inspired confection that convincingly mimics a Negroni and a degustation at Vue de Monde, followed by a toasted cheese jaffle.
