Applied DNA Sciences Secures Premium Wine Labels for Paumanok Vineyards


STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwire - June 16, 2009) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: APDN), a provider of DNA-based security solutions, announced that its proprietary SigNature® DNA markers have been incorporated into premium wine labels in a pilot project for Paumanok Vineyards. Located on the North Fork of Long Island, Paumanok has selected a collection of its premium wines that will be protected with specially DNA-marked wine labels to guarantee the authenticity of its wines and protect the integrity of its brand.

Counterfeit wines are estimated to account for as much as five percent of the secondary market (Wine Spectator). "For many wines, the interest of serious collectors may one day be coincident with interest from counterfeiters. Concerned vintners need to protect their future values today. Paumanok's new wines will have a unique DNA label that, when authenticated, insures their originality," said APDN CEO Dr. James Hayward. "We are delighted to be helping Paumanok protect and maintain their stellar reputation for superior quality estate wines."

As with all luxury collectibles, fine wine deserves insurance. There is no better way to insure a product's authenticity than with SigNature DNA. In a time when investing is challenging enough, trust in the provenance of the item should not be a concern for the wine collector.

"Paumanok wines are highly valued around the country due to strong demand and limited availability," said Charles Massoud, Proprietor, Paumanok. "We are proactively doing everything we can to ensure, from vine to bottle, that the Paumanok name represents exceptional quality."

With much of the vineyard planted over 20 years ago, Paumanok enjoys significant recognition as one of the best established vineyards in New York State. Paumanok is an estate winery distinguished by the production and bottling of wines only from the grapes grown exclusively in their vineyards.

Paumanok believes that by guaranteeing quality wine and embracing innovative technology, small wineries can be competitive. For these reasons, they have designed new wine labels, enhanced with APDN's botanical SigNature DNA markers for the launch of the following premium wines:

--  2008 Late Harvest Riesling - This limited production wine is perhaps
    the best late harvest wine Paumanok has ever produced. Released June 11,
    2009.
    
--  2007 Merlot Tuthills Lane Vineyard - This is the first Merlot produced
    at the prestigious Tuthills Lane Vineyard. It will drink well at release,
    but be even more enjoyable in 5 years, 10 years or more. Due for release
    later in 2009.
    
--  2007 Petit Verdot Apollo Drive Vineyard Limited Edition - This is only
    the second time this wine has been produced at Paumanok. It will cellar
    well for many years to come. Due for release in 2010.
    

"APDN assisted us in an efficient and seamless manner to protect our wines with a long-lasting, high-quality solution. We, in turn, can provide our loyal customers with a trusted, distinctive product," continued Massoud.

APDN can help vineyards and wine regions around the world in the fight against wine fraud and counterfeiting. SigNature DNA is scalable, and can be customized to protect more exclusive product runs as well as mark thousands of cases or even millions of bottles. These forensic DNA markers can be added to printing inks, paper or other packaging elements as part of the existing manufacturing process.

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