Oct 22, 2024

Juice processing, berry fertilization and new crop nutrition techniques highlighted at Great Lakes EXPO

At the 2024 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO, Zilfina Rubio Ames and Olga Padilla-Zakour will share insights on blueberry fertilization and Concord grape juice cold-press techniques.

Padilla-Zakour, the Seneca Foods Foundation professor and director of the Food Venture Center at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, will present Enhanced Cold-Press Technique: Elevating Flavor and Freshness in Concord Grape Juice. Padilla-Zakour is also the director of the Institute for Food Safety and the Food Science Program Leader at Cornell AgriTech.

Padilla-Zakour will discuss new processing methods to manufacture cold-press Concord grape juice using nonthermal technologies.

Ames is an assistant professor and small fruit Extension specialist at the University of Georgia in Tifton, Georgia, and focuses on improving berry production systems by improving yield and quality and making production systems more efficient and sustainable.

Enhanced cold-press technique

“The demand for minimally processed and close-to-fresh juices is increasing,” Padilla-Zakour explained. “Novel technologies, such as pulsed electric fields (PEF) and high-pressure processing (HPP), are offering alternatives to make high-quality, cold-pressed juices.”

These methods offer significant benefits to growers and juice processors. 

“PEF can be used to facilitate the cold extraction of juice and its components — juice yield, color, phenolic compounds, antioxidants — while HPP is applied to cold pasteurize the juice,” she said. “Because there is no heat applied in the combined process, the fresh taste is preserved. Furthermore, the juice processed this way has an extended refrigerated shelflife of over five months.”

Padilla-Zakour’s expertise extends beyond juice processing. As director of the Food Venture Center, she leads an essential Extension program that provides assistance to over 800 clients each year, helping to support the commercialization of more than 2,000 new food products annually. Her work ensures that food entrepreneurs and farmers meet regulatory compliance while focusing on food safety and stability.

For growers attending her session, Padilla-Zakour offers insights into how they can adapt to the growing demand for premium, cold-pressed juices. 

“Cold-pressed juices are sold as premium products, offering an alternative to consumers who want more nutritious foods. The demand is growing, but a small portion of the juice industry is still focused on juice concentrate production,” Padilla-Zakour said.

Sap testing in berry crops

Zilfina Rubio Ames will mainly discuss sap analysis in berry crops, including how reliable the process is and how financially beneficial it is for growers. 

“I know growers are interested in how to implement sap analysis for their crops,” Ames said. “I’ll talk about my two years of data and research from working with sap analysis and see how we can incorporate it into the production system as another tool other than soil samples.”

The best advice Ames can offer growers is to “always listen to your Extension specialist from a high institution like a university — we always have your best interest at heart,” Ames said.

Blueberry fertilization

In her second session, Zilfina Rubio Ames will focus on potassium and phosphorus fertilization and how growers can utilize chemical fertilizers more efficiently according to the plant’s needs.

“We’re trying to create more holistic research in the berry production system — research involving several aspects of the production system as a whole, so we can provide growers with a better understanding and make it more sustainable,” Ames said.

This year is Ames’ first time attending the Great Lakes EXPO and she is excited to connect with colleagues and growers.

“I think this is a great opportunity to listen to colleagues from other universities and other parts of the U.S. that bring in new ideas to the industry,” Ames said. “The Great Lakes EXPO is a great show with several educated speakers and interesting topics showcased. The show brings growers together and shows them new research in improving crop management.”

To learn more about Great Lakes EXPO visit, glexpo.com