This was a book from over 20 years ago [pre-2000 likely pre-1990] (I recall reading it while growing up and the book looked old then too). The book was printed on cheap paper and it had that old book smell.
It followed a couple of guys(I have the feeling that they were white, the person who built the ship and his friend/colleague who brings his girlfriend? ) and I think a gal. One or two of them were either inventors or professors or something like that. It mostly focused on the guys but at one point I think the girl gets separated from the group for a bit. The main unique thing I recall about the book was that their spaceship ran off of Heinz 57 varieties (57? 52?) and apparently the different foods had different properties. It was something like a spaceship powered by cans of beans and another used the repulsion effect of onions? They end up going through a bunch of adventures as they make their way through space as their ship breaks and they got to figure a way around. As you can tell by the fact that they have a spaceship powered by beans? and aliens who have technology based off of the 57 varieties, the story is not serious at all and it was mostly them trying to survive the situations they kept getting into. The book was written in English. The setting was only briefly on earth but quickly they end up in space and (outside of our solar system meet aliens) I think other worlds. The story starts on Earth. I think they were in a lab and they receive some parts for the ship the next day's launch.
I am not sure if this is from this story but the aliens they got captured by wore masks over their noses because their sexual organ was their noses (which could engorge). They were offended by the fact that the humans didn't cover their faces. But eventually, the humans sorta got on their good side. Also, they made the claim that the earth was a dumping ground for their biowaste and thus was responsible for life on earth.
I recall that the Heinz 57 varieties were mentioned by name but it was only mentioned a few times.