To meet the needs of our clients and to foster a sustainable food industry we have undertaken the following programs:
Identify and study important food safety issues related to fruits and vegetables in the areas of microbiological safety, chemical safety and naturally occurring plant toxicants and nutraceuticals.
Establish research programs designed to probe the molecular basis of functionality and quality with special emphasis in the areas of biochemistry of fruits and vegetables/post harvest physiology, sensory quality of foods, physical / chemical properties of foods and ingredients and microbiology of foods
Identify and study technologies and systems that promote and enhance food value including safety and cost with special emphasis in the areas of engineering/process optimization, packaging & storage applications, wine & other fermented beverages/fermentation systems. We will use the Food Venture Center and the Cornell Wine Analysis Laboratory as applied research and outreach centers.
Study improved methods for waste reduction and disposal, and new procedures for the detection and analysis of environmental contaminants related to the food industry. Special focus will be on processing waste treatment technologies, agrochemical fate studies, and environmental toxins and diagnostics.
By developing these programs we expect to succeed in our mission goals and remain a center of excellence for research in food science on fruits and vegetables.