by Linda McCandless
Geneva, NY - Dozens of companies have used the Pilot Plant facility in Geneva in the last few years to develop new products and processing methods. The companies range in size from local restaurateur Dano Hutnik, who spent three days scaling-up production of his gourmet tree-ripened fruit jam, to Barbara Dietrich, who spent three years developing her collection of Sizzle Sauce currently being marketed through Tops and Wegman's. Larger companies like Seneca Foods, Comstock-Michigan, Hanover Brand, and Campbell's Soup also use the facility. Monsanto spent a year developing applications for OPET, a crystal clear container currently being used by Ocean Spray for cranberry juice, that can be filled with hot product and suffer minimal shrinkage or melt. Comstock-Michigan came to Geneva when they changed can sizes.
The Experiment Station's partnership with New York state growers and processors is a crucial component of our research and extension mission. From the breeding and selection of new varieties of fruits and vegetables to the use of those raw products in the production of processed food products, the work at Geneva extends from "field to fork."
The food science & technology department at Geneva operates the two facilities that are integral components of this partnership: the Raw Products Building, where fruits and vegetables can be stored, washed, sorted, graded, and refrigerated, and the 10,000 sq. ft. Pilot Plant.
According to manager Bob Kime, three main types of work are done in the pilot plant: developing an entirely new fruit, vegetable or beverage product; improving an existing product/process; or doing FDA required thermal heat penetration studies on a new or ingredient-changed canned food. Graduate students also use the facility for product and process improvement research.
Depending on processes, support personnel required, and equipment used, fees range from $25 to $1000 per hour.
More than $130,000 worth of new food processing equipment has been added to the Pilot Plant in the last three months and Mark McLellan, chairman of the Food Science & Technology Department at Geneva is looking for more.
Industry donated the equipment to us for several reasons. Geneva will be doing research projects using the equipment and will be able to provide important feedback about operational characteristics, design, and performance. Industry coming through the Pilot Plant will find the equipment useful in their processing operations and, as a neutral site, we will also be a resource to potential purchasers who want to discuss technical issues concerning the equipmentÕs operation.
The equipment includes a steam injection unit from Pick Heaters in Wisconsin, a juice extractor from Frontier Technologies in Michigan, an automated filling line from Oden Corporation in Buffalo, and a fruit elevator from Nabisco.
The additions are exciting, but the department is really challenged to keep up with what is in essence a multi-million dollar equipment plant in times of greatly reduced operating budgets. Other items on Geneva's needed equipment list include a continuous capper system that will work with the new filler line; container conveyor systems for product handling; control temperature tankage for product preparation; other types of heat exchanges such as scrape surface heat exchangers and high turbulence tube and shell heat exchangers. Another major area of need is our packaging systems, many new small companies need assistance and guidance in this area. Approximately 15 forty-year-old steam controllers used in the pilot plant equipment need to be replaced for energy management.
The Pilot Plant was originally built in 1960. Current equipment includes process lines, peelers, dryers, presses, homogenizers, heat exchangers, evaporators, cookers, steam kettles, filters, blanching equipment, cooling equipment, closing/packaging equipment and other general support equipment. Because of increased emphasis on viticulture and brewing research, new equipment is also needed for wine and beer making research.
Return to News Page
Page created September 9, 1996 by Cathy Weeden