A new fully self-contained processing bay for high pressure processing (HPP) research is located within the main pilot plant. New HPP-based research into pressure enhanced sterilization (PES) technologies, such as pressure assisted thermal sterilization (PATS), is conducted in this area using state-of-the-art equipment from Avure Technologies. The processing bay has been added to the select agent license, allowing critical biological validation of this proven food safety technology.