Cornell gets $600K grant for Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva

GENEVA, N.Y. — Cornell University will use a state grant of $600,000 to purchase and install a “high pressure” processing machine at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

The Agriculture Experiment Station is part of Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

New York State Sen. Michael Nozzolio (R–Fayette) secured the grant funding, his office said in a news release issued Monday.

The Experiment Station will use the machine, the Hiperbaric 55, to conduct research, instruction, and outreach that will “revolutionize” the food-processing industry; expand new markets for locally grown agricultural products; and “create new jobs in the Finger Lakes region and throughout New York,” according to the release.

The Hiperbaric 55 uses high pressure instead of high temperatures to eliminate food-borne pathogens. The new equipment will provide food-safety certification for new products that the Experiment Station needs for its role in the food-processing industry.

The lawmaker’s office contends the purchase is “exciting” news for the grape industry and firms that produce dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt.

Described as a “non-thermal alternative to thermal pasteurization,” the Hiperbaric machine will “dramatically” extend the shelf life of food products.

In addition to housing the Hiperbaric machine in the food laboratory at the Experiment Station, Cornell will also provide calibration and testing staff to assist food companies that want to “expand and create new food products while ensuring the highest level of consumer safety,” according to the release.

High-pressure processing research and testing capacity at the Experiment Station is a “win-win situation” for local food processors who will now have access to the food-processing technology, Nozzolio said in the release.

Kathryn Boor, dean of Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Susan Brown, director of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, joined Nozzolio for Monday’s announcement.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com