Replicators

Food service aboard Federation Starships is provided by molecular replication systems that can instantly recreate any of thousands of food selections at a moment's notice. This system employs transporter-based matter replication which can produce, with almost total fidelity, several thousand types of food, which are stored in the computers memory.

The heart of the food replication system is a pair of molecular matrix matter replicators, which dematerialize a measured quantity of raw material in a manner similar to that of a standard transporter. Unlike a standard transporter, however, no molecular imaging scanners are used to derive analog pattern data of the original material. Instead, a sophisticated quantum geometry transformational matrix field is used to modify the matter stream to conform to a digitally stored molecular pattern matrix. The matter stream is then routed through a network of waveguide conduits to any one of hundreds of replicator terminals located throughout the spacecraft. Such terminals are located in most living quarters as well as in various lounges and common dining areas. The molecular pattern matrix controls the rematerialization process at the replication terminal, so that the finished product is a virtually identical copy of the original dish.

The raw food stock material is an organic particulate suspension, a combination of long-chain molecules that has been formulated for minimum replication requirements. When dematerialized, using a slightly modified phase transition coil chamber, the resulting matter stream statistically requires at least quantum transformational manipulation to replicate most finished foodstuffs. This "transmutation" of matter is a modern scientific miracle, and the use of this raw material keeps the energy cost within reason.

Although the raw food stock is normally replicated at starbase resupply, osmotic and electrolytic fractioning of waste water allows up to 82% of food stock to be reclaimed and reused. In a shortage, raw food stock can be replicated from general raw stock or waste material, but the energy cost is correspondingly higher, so this practice is to be avoided.

This system is relatively expensive to operate in terms of mass of the hardware involved and the energy cost of operation, but it is a significant savings over a traditional food storage and preparation system. Older techniques required the storage (either in refrigeration or in stasis) of a large number of raw foodstuff types, and the total mass of stored foodstuffs would have to be nearly twenty times greater in order to provide even a tenth of the menu items offered by the replicator system. Because food is stored as a single uniform staple, very little mass and storage penalty is incurred in providing an extremely wide range of menu choices, and extensive recycling of food stock permits an even more dramatic mass savings over extended voyages. Further, the labor involved even in automatic food preparation (and the crew support costs thereby incurred) further increases the cost of traditional food service.

As with all transporter-based replication systems, the food replicators operate at molecular resolution. Because of this, there are significant numbers of single-bit errors in the resulting replicated materials. These errors are not nutritionally significant (although some individuals do claim to able to taste the differences in certain dishes), but certain types of Altarian spices have shown a tendency to becomes mildly toxic when replicated, so their use is avoided in replicated dishes.

I assume the food slots in use during Captain Kirk's days were in fact some form of a replicator, since limited replicators were in use on the Enterprise NX-01.