CCTEC eNews: June 2009

Raspberry "superfruit" at affordable prices

Cornell University, Ithaca - Sweet, juicy raspberries are a luxury for most of us, costing $8 to $16 a pound. Not only are raspberries delicious, they’re considered a "superfood," rich in antioxidants like pomegranates or blueberries. Raspberry lines developed by Dr. Courtney Weber, Associate Professor of Horticultural Sciences at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, may bring consumers the local raspberries they crave at a price they can afford. Additionally, Dr. Weber is testing an innovative berry growing system that could change the way raspberries are grown and distributed, bringing fresh berries closer to their target local consumer markets.

Dr. Weber has developed hundreds of raspberry lines over the last ten years at Cornell. Three of his leading lines solve two major problems that plague upstate New York raspberry growers: a short growing season and a climate conducive to raspberry root rot. To test whether Cornell’s berry varieties can grow in climates beyond upstate New York, Dr. Weber is collaborating with growers in Mexico and Europe. If international growers find that Cornell raspberries thrive in their local climates, they will license the raspberry line from Cornell to produce and sell berries in their own regions and worldwide.

A high production tunnel at Cornell creates ideal growing conditions for raspberries.

Dr. Weber’s second major initiative is testing a growing system for raspberries called the "high tunnel berry production system." Widely used for berries in Europe and California, high tunnels were first brought to Cornell in a pilot project by Dr. Marvin Pritts, Chair of Cornell’s Department of Horticulture. The high tunnel system is engineered to create an ideal growing climate for raspberries. Each tunnel is scalable, ranging from 30 by 96 feet to larger tunnels which cover several acres. Last year, Dr. Weber established Cornell’s second high tunnel facility at Cornell’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. By keeping the rain off the fruit and providing a calmer growing environment, raspberries thrive under the high tunnels, yielding more berries of superb quality. Additionally, the fall production season can be extended in upstate NY into early November in most years by closing up the tunnels to retain heat and protect from freezing temperatures.

One of the goals of the efficient high tunnel growing system is to increase regional economic development by enabling small growers to produce healthy, high value fruits for their local markets. Locally grown berries are less expensive to transport and package and fresher than raspberries imported from distant warmer, more acclimated climates.

For more information about Cornell raspberry varieties or the high tunnel berry production system, contact Dr. Courtney Weber at caw34@nysaes.cornell.edu or Laura Cima at CCTEC at lc12@cornell.edu

A promising new test to keep track of salt intake

Weill Cornell Medical College, New York - SaltCheck, Inc., an Allied Minds company based on Cornell research, may be one step closer to developing and commercializing an on-the-spot test to monitor salt excretion (which closely mirrors salt intake) for patients with hypertension. Based on research by Drs. Samuel J. Mann and Linda M. Gerber of the Weill Cornell Medical College, the test uses two dipsticks to conduct a spot check of sodium levels in the patient's urine (similar to an at-home pregnancy test). Results from the dipstick test are further refined using statistical adjustments derived from previous clinical studies.

A recent 100 subject study conducted at the Weill Cornell Medical College and funded by Saltcheck, Inc., demonstrated that the test provides immediate feedback on urine sodium excretion. The test was able to correctly indicate whether a patient's sodium content was low or not with a high degree of accuracy when compared with the laboratory standard. The next phases will include final product design and clinical trials for FDA or equivalent approval. The test could eliminate the two biggest drawbacks of the current testing method which consists of the inconvience of collecting all urine during a 24 hour period (often leads to inaccurate results from incomplete collections), and the time associated with sending it to a laboratory.

SaltCheck's at-home test could eliminate the two biggest drawbacks of the current testing method: the inconvience of collecting all urine during a 24 hour period and the time associated with sending it to a laboratory.

Allied Minds, a seed organization for early stage technology and SaltCheck's parent company, hopes to eventually commercialize Saltcheck's salt intake monitoring system as a convenient, low-cost alternative to lab testing.