A New Kind of Pressure: OSU invests in technology to transform food research
Friday, May 22, 2026
Media Contact: Kristin Knight | Communications and Marketing Manager | 405-744-1130 | kristin.knight@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University has added a powerful new tool to its food research capabilities, becoming one of only three universities in the nation to house a Hiperbaric food chamber.
OSU Agriculture leaders say, this distinction will strengthen industry partnerships, expand student training opportunities and support the future of food production in Oklahoma.
The Hiperbaric food chamber, a high-pressure food processing system made to reduce harmful bacteria without heat or chemicals, arrived at OSU’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center in Spring 2026. While the technology itself has gained heavy attention in the food industry, OSU’s food science researchers emphasize that its greatest value lies not in the machine, but in how the university plans to use it.
“This system uses extremely high pressure to inactivate harmful microorganisms while keeping the food itself largely unchanged,” said Scott Senseman, OSU Ag Research associate vice president.
The unit is an industrial-scale system that uses water to apply uniform pressure to sealed food products, providing a cold pasteurization option for food safety, Senseman said.
Ravi Jadeja, associate professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, said OSU is fortunate to have leadership support to acquire this type of equipment. Jadeja said it will provide groundbreaking opportunities and benefit Oklahoma’s food industry beyond imagination.
As consumer demand continues to shift toward fresher foods with fewer preservatives, emerging high-pressure processing technologies are becoming increasingly important, Jadeja said.
“More and more people are going toward cold pasteurization or something that does not require either heat or chemicals to extend the shelf life of food products,” he said.
The hyperbaric food pressurizing process preserves the qualities consumers expect from fresh foods while reducing food safety risks, Jadeja said. However, the technology is not universal, he added.
“This is not suitable for all different types of products,” Jadeja said. “A very dry product is typically not a good product to use in this equipment.”
OSU researchers will primarily use the Hiperbaric food chamber for pre-packaged foods with sufficient moisture, including meats, dairy products, juices, produce and pet foods, Jadeja said.
Items like diced produce or processed meats are the most ideal candidates for the system, while whole, dry products are less compatible, said Shade Hughes, FAPC hyperbaric cold pasteurization technologies program manager.
At extreme uniform pressure levels, harmful bacteria are destroyed without significantly altering the food itself, Hughes said.
“If you imagine a cell like a balloon, and apply extreme uniform pressure from all directions, the pressure causes it to collapse,” Hughes said.
While the science behind the process is well-established, the broader mission is what sets the university apart, Senseman said.
“We are not trying to turn this facility into a packing plant,” Senseman said. “What we’re doing is creating opportunities to answer food safety questions, understand how this technology affects texture, flavor and shelf life, and help companies evaluate whether it makes economic sense for their products.”
This allows OSU to work with producers, at the farm and manufacturing levels, in ways that most land-grant institutions cannot, said Rodney Holcomb, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and FAPC assistant director.
OSU’s Hiperbaric food chamber will function as a research, validation and training resource, Jadeja said. As part of FAPC’s focus on preparing the next generation of food industry leaders, the goal is to serve food companies, researchers and students, he added.
“Researchers plan to use the Hiperbaric food chamber to aid in academic research that supports industry needs, providing the resources for applied studies, pilot testing and validation work that many food companies are currently seeking outside the state at other institutions that have this technology already,” Senseman said.
Those validation studies, which confirm that a food safety process consistently reduces harmful pathogens to required levels, are often required before products can move to market, making access to this technology especially valuable for small and mid-sized producers, Senseman said.
“That is where we can help the industry,” Hughes said.
This capability, combined with OSU’s federally inspected food facility, positions OSU to take on the work that other institutions with the machine are unable to perform, Holcomb said.
Beyond supporting food companies, the Hiperbaric food chamber is expected to play a critical role in student education, Senseman said. Access to advanced processing technology gives OSU students a competitive edge as they prepare to enter the workforce, he added.
“We always have a goal in mind to train the next generation of food industry professionals,” Jadeja said. “Having this machine provides a unique opportunity for us to provide hands-on training to the next generation of food industry leaders and workforce.”
The Hiperbaric food chamber also provides a variety of educational opportunities across multiple disciplines, Holcomb said.
“From an educational standpoint, we can train people on this technology, and not many places can do that,” Holcomb said. “It allows students in food science, meat science and horticultural processing to do things they wouldn’t get to do elsewhere.”
The Hiperbaric food chamber also opens the door for OSU to research areas that remain largely unexplored, Hughes said.
“Most of the research has really only covered food safety,” Hughes said. “But there are huge gaps within nutrition and food chemistry studies, and there’s nothing on financial feasibility.”
This innovative research ultimately benefits Oklahoma producers and consumers, Jadeja said, adding that the investment reflects a commitment to addressing real-world challenges in food safety.
“We have one in six Americans every year getting sick with a foodborne illness,” he said. “We have close to 3,000 people die each year in the U.S. Having this type of technology reduces that risk.”
The Hiperbaric food chamber also addresses the food waste and market access challenges producers face, Holcomb said.
“The business philosophy of the food industry is sell it or smell it,” he said. “If you can’t sell it, you have to process it, or it’s going to go bad.”
This technology helps preserve the food, ensuring as little product as possible goes to waste.
The chamber was installed on March 12. FAPC faculty and staff are preparing it to be fully operational come Fall 2026.
The equipment is expected to facilitate industrial collaboration, student training and pilot projects once operational, Jadeja said.
For researchers and leaders in OSU Agriculture, the Hiperbaric food chamber is more than just a technological addition. It signifies a sustained commitment to education, innovation and support for Oklahoma’s agriculture and food sectors.
“This represents OSU stepping into a leadership role,” Senseman said. “We’re positioned in the center of the country, we have strong food and agricultural industries around us, and now, we have a technology that allows us to serve those industries while training the workforce of the future.”
Story by Taylor Epperson | Cowboy Journal