- Project
backed by $891,000 grant from U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Ohio
State gives Pressure BioSciences $318,000 contract to design and build
“first-in-kind” bench-top and floor model Ultra Shear Technology equipment
- Game-changing
technology could provide cost-effective methods of preserving milk, other
dairy products and juices at room temperature and without the need for
chemical preservatives
Pressure BioSciences Inc. (OTCQB: PBIO), a leading developer
of innovative pressure-based solutions for the global life sciences industry,
and the highly-regarded College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences (CFAES) of The Ohio State University, are collaborating to create a
cost-effective and game-changing new method of allowing beverages and liquid
foods to be stored at room temperature, according to a recent company press
release (http://ibn.fm/Sn57d).
The company believes that its Ultra Shear Technology (UST) can be scaled up to
make it possible to preserve foodstuffs such as milk, other dairy products and
juices without the use of additives and without compromising their look, texture
or fresh taste. The company believes that UST will also allow these foods to be
conveniently stored at room temperature for extended periods of time.
Combining high pressure and high shear forces while
minimizing exposure to damaging high temperatures, this innovative method is
expected to allow for the manufacture of healthier and better tasting products
by eliminating the need for chemical preservatives and reducing thermal damage.
“The ultimate goal of this collaborative project is for
consumers to benefit from the increased availability of wholesome, healthy,
better-tasting, shelf-stable, clean label liquid food and beverage options.
Imagine liquid foods like milk shipped and stored at room temperature for
extended periods of time post-processing, while retaining superior nutritional
and taste qualities,” Pressure BioSciences President and CEO Richard T.
Schumacher said in a news release.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of
Food and Agriculture is funding the project with an $891,000 grant over four
years, extended to Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences. Because of its expertise in high pressure and high-pressure
equipment, Ohio State sub-contracted Pressure BioSciences to create bench-top
and plant floor equipment in a deal worth $318,000.
At the moment, although there are high-pressure processing
(HPP) methods that extend shelf-life and reduce disease-causing microbes, these
methods are expensive and non-efficient. HPP can reduce food-borne pathogens
and extend shelf-life without the need for chemical additives, but it remains a
batch process that’s not capable of continuous flow. Because it is only a
pasteurization process that does not render food commercially sterile,
HPP-processed food must be stored and shipped under refrigeration at all times.
“We believe that Ultra Shear Technology will provide economical solutions to
these problems, and will offer an additional, clean label processing choice to
both consumers and the food industry around the world,” Pressure BioSciences’
Senior Vice President of Engineering, Dr. Edmund Y. Ting, Sr., added.
The joint Ohio State University-Pressure BioSciences program
is headed by Dr. V.M. “Bala” Balasubramaniam, a professor of food engineering
at CFAES who is known internationally for his research on high-pressure and
other types of nonthermal processing and safe processing of food using reduced
heat. “We believe UST can be used by food manufacturers for the processing of
healthier and improved beverages, sauces, condiments and other foods,” he
stated in a news release. Balasubramaniam works with a multidisciplinary team
of chemists, microbiologists and nutritionists at Ohio State’s CFAES that
investigates innovative food technologies and collaborates with industry
entities to implement these technologies commercially.
The program offers the potential to bring revolutionary
advantages and cost savings to the consumer and the dairy industry, but also to
schools, the military, disaster relief agencies and other such groups,
according to Schumacher.
He added that this promising project comes against a
backdrop of positive developments for the company. “With our core business
showing consistent revenue growth, our BaroFold acquisition generating revenue
much sooner than planned, and our Ultra Shear Technology platform getting off
to an impressive start, we believe PBIO has now positioned itself well for
rapid, explosive growth in the months and years ahead.”
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PressureBioSciences.com
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