ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell University's Department of Food Science announced that Crowley Foods Inc. of Albany, N.Y., with a score of 90.6 out of a possible 100, is the producer of the highest quality milk in New York state for 2003. Upstate Farms of Buffalo came in second place with a score of 87.9. Rounding out the top five high-quality milk producers in the state were: Stewarts Processing Corp. of Saratoga Springs, Parmalat/Sunnydale Farms of Brooklyn and Wendt's Dairy of Niagara Falls.

The selection is part of the New York State Milk Quality Improvement Program and is sponsored by the New York Milk Promotion Order. Analytical testing is done at Cornell.

Judging criteria included butterfat content, post-pasteurization bacteria counts within the milk's sell-by date and vitamin levels. The most critical attributes analyzed were product flavor and stability during shelf life, said Kathryn J. Boor, the Cornell associate professor of food science who runs the testing program.

Every year random samples of whole, reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free milk are evaluated by the program. The New York Milk Promotion Order is funded by revenues collected by the state from dairy producers. It is administered through New York's Department of Agriculture and Markets. Nearly all commercial milk processors in the state participate.

From July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003, more than 400 milk samples were collected and nearly 4,000 individual tests were run to determine the winners. The milk was first examined when it was received and again 14 days later, near the end of the sell-by date. Microbiological and chemical tests were performed, and trained sensory panelists tasted and scored each sample based on flavor and odor. Last year, Crowley Foods and Upstate Farms Cooperative, Rochester, tied for first place.