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Future rations: pee soup

July 22, 2004

Hungry soldiers with limited water supplies and only dried food rations to eat could soon be using dirty swamp water or even urine to hydrate their food, a science magazine said yesterday.

In a new technique, the dried rations are packed in a pouch with a special filter that removes 99.9 per cent of the bacteria and toxic chemicals from whatever liquid is used.

"The pouch - containing chicken and rice initially - relies on osmosis to filter the water or urine," according to New Scientist magazine.

The rations were developed by US Army scientists who two years ago developed an indestructible sandwich that stayed edible for up to three years. Their aim is to reduce the amount of water soldiers need to carry. To hydrate the food, a soldier pours liquid on one end of the foil sachet. It seeps through the pouch and a membrane into the food.

But researchers at Hydration Technology of Albany, Oregon, which makes the membrane, said soldiers should only use urine in an emergency because the membrane does not filter out urea, a compound contained in urine. Rehydrating food this way over the long term could cause kidney damage.

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