Applied DNA Sciences Uses DNA Authentication to Safeguard Premium Wine Against Counterfeiting and Fraud

STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwire - May 28, 2009) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: APDN), a provider of DNA-based security solutions, announced today that it is using its patented and proprietary DNA authentication to help premium wine producers in their fight against fraud and counterfeiting. With counterfeit wines estimated to account for as much as five percent of the secondary market (Wine Spectator 2009), vintners need new technologies that allow them to easily validate the authenticity of their products. Along with more traditional chemical assays, DNA authentication is increasingly being accepted as a method to verify the authenticity of wine.

Wine fraud typically takes the form of counterfeit labels. Some producers attempt to reduce fraud by marking future vintage bottles with engraved serialized numbers, however, the counterfeiters have still been able to defraud older vintages and taint genuine products with poorer substitutes.

APDN has now completed a number of feasibility studies involving the application of complex botanical SigNature DNA® markers onto premium wines. The host for the DNA marker may be the label, the cork, or the bottle itself. These markers can be instantly screened using handheld readers, while the identity of the bottle may be proved forensically by DNA analyses. The DNA markers produced by APDN are unique, non-replicable and have false positive rates of less than one in a trillion. This enables producers to effectively implement a protection strategy that assures the long term security of their products and brands.

Another common method of wine fraud is the practice of blending inexpensive wine with more expensive wine or other materials and selling it at the higher price. APDN has developed methods to help counteract these activities, by allowing vintners to verify the contents of the wine by the genetic provenance or "BioMaterial Genotype" of a specific grape cultivar. Both methodologies can help the brand owner or vintner definitively verify both the internal and external contents of the wine, offering a complete system for authentication.

For centuries, most wineries made little effort to ensure their wines could not be faked. Wine fraud and counterfeiting has grown large enough that the FBI's art fraud squad is investigating. A spate of highly publicized incidents recently brought this crisis to public attention. In 1998, bottles of 1990 Penfold's Grange were revealed to be counterfeit, exhibiting typographical errors and inconsistent printing. Approximately 16,000 bottles of Sassicaia, retailed at $100 to $125 a bottle, were identified as fake and seized in Italy in 2000. Perhaps the most renowned and shocking counterfeiting scandal came to light in 2007, when a lawsuit brought by billionaire wine collector William Koch sparked a widespread federal investigation of several notable auction houses, wine collectors, and importers.

But now, concerned that customers will lose confidence and stop buying, wineries from Napa Valley, Long Island, Bordeaux, Tuscany and even the Barossa Valley in Australia, are exploring ways to make sure future bottles and their contents can be authenticated.

"Consumer confidence is eroded each time a story about fake goods is published. More and more, brand owners are recognizing that counterfeiting is a worldwide problem that needs to be immediately addressed by every business, in every market. DNA can help wineries protect their products and assure their customers of the authenticity of their high value investments without affecting the character of the finished product," stated Dr. James Hayward, CEO of APDN.

About APDN

APDN sells patented DNA security solutions to protect products, brands and intellectual property from counterfeiting and diversion. SigNature DNA is a botanical mark used to authenticate products in a unique manner that essentially cannot be copied. APDN also provides BioMaterial GenoTyping™ by detecting genomic DNA in natural materials to authenticate finished products. Both technologies protect brands and products in a wide range of industries and provide a forensic chain of evidence that can be used to prosecute perpetrators. To learn more, go to (www.adnas.com).

The statements made by APDN may be forward-looking in nature and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe APDN's future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN's SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 16, 2008 and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. APDN undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact Information: INVESTOR CONTACT: Debbie Bailey 631-444-8090 fax: 631-444-8848 MEDIA CONTACT: Janice Meraglia 631-444-6293 fax: 631-444-8848 FCMN Contact: Web site: http://www.adnas.com