ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Bard Associate Professor of Biology Gabriel G. Perron
and Bard Associate Professor of Chemistry Swapan S. Jain have received a $46,000 grant from
the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to study the impact of farming practices on the
nutritional content and microbial diversity of fermented vegetables, which complements an
existing $50,000 grant from Hudson Valley Farm Hub to study soil health. “Getting support from
such an important organization not only enables us to continue our work on agroecology, but
also gives us visibility at the national level,” said Gabriel G. Perron. Both Perron and Jain are
also associated with the Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities at Bard.
The Stone Barns Center grant funds will be used to study and document the impact of frost on
the nutritional value of raw and fermented cabbage. Perron and Jain will also be investigating
how frost impacts the microbial communities developing during fermentation, which affects the
probiotic qualities of fermented cabbage (e.g., sauerkraut). This project will be conducted in
collaboration with farmers at Stone Barns, chefs at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and Bard College
researchers Perron and Jain. Former Bard student Pearson Lau ’19, who recently published his
Senior Project on the effect of chlorination on sourdough starter cultures, will also be part of the
research team. Professors Perron and Jain plan to involve current Bard undergraduates in their
research project. This collaboration has also made it possible to bring students from Bard and
Bard NYC to visit Stone Barns and Blue Hill at Stone Barns as part of their respective classes.
Read the Bard College press release here
