Phytoconstituents and Antifungals covers a wide range of specific information on various phytoconstituents, their antifungal mode and the diagnosis and management of fungal infections. The book offers encouragement and empowers readers to re-embrace their knowledge of phytoconstituents and their various antifungal activities against most opportunistic pathogenic fungi as fungal diseases cause an estimated 1.5+ million deaths annually and over one billion people suffer from severe fungal disease. In this complex scenario, it is now clear that global warming and accompanying climate changes have resulted in increased incidence of many fungal infections. On the basis of all these factors, concerns on the occurrence of a pandemic fungal origin in the near future have been raised. In this context, to stop forgetting and underestimating fungal diseases is mandatory.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Food Safety: Methods and Techniques introduces antimicrobial resistant food-borne pathogens, their surveillance and epidemiology, emerging resistance and resistant pathogens. This analysis is followed by a systematic presentation of currently applied methodology and technology, including advanced technologies for detection, intervention, and information technologies. This reference can be used as a practical guide for scientists, food engineers, and regulatory personnel as well as students in food safety, food microbiology, or food science.

This book describes the various techniques for nondestructive quality assessment of fruits and vegetables. It covers the methods, measurements, operation principles, procedures, data analysis, and applications for implementing these techniques. The book presents the details of nondestructive approaches focusing on the present-day trends and existing future opportunities in the fresh food supply chain. First, it overviews different nondestructive techniques in food quality detection. Then it presents nondestructive methods: monochrome computer vision, imaging techniques, biospeckle laser technique, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, Raman spectroscopy, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, X-ray computed tomography, ultrasound, acoustic emission, chemometrics, electronic nose and tongue. Selected applications of each method are also introduced. As a result, readers gain a better understanding of how to use nondestructive methods and technologies to detect the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. With a wide range of interesting topics, the book will benefit readers including postharvest & food scientists/technologists, industry personnel and researchers involved in fresh produce quality detection. The book can also serve as a readily accessible reference material for postgraduate students.

This volume details methods and procedures used to detect and enumerate bacteria in food. Chapters guide readers through food and beverage matrices, techniques used to enumerate bacteria, mixed bacterial strains (naturally present or inoculated), yeast, viruses, protozoan in distinct food matrices, and freshwater. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Detection and Enumeration of Bacteria, Yeast, Viruses, and Protozoan in Foods and Freshwater aims to provide a basic understanding on detection and enumeration of microorganisms in foods.

Human-Gut Microbiome: Establishment and Interactions gives an overview of microbiome establishments in humans and basic technologies used to decipher the structure and function of gut microbiome. Other sections focus on the application of microbiomics in different disease manifestations, such as obesity, diabetes, and more. The book provides the basics, as well as mechanistic knowledge underpinning the structural and functional understanding of the microbiome. With the advancement in omics technologies, as well as the development of bioinformatic tools, much research has been undertaken to decipher the microbiomes of different hosts. This research is generating valuable insights into micro-ecological niches and their impact on humans, hence this new release covers these new insights. The book will be a valuable resource for scientists, researchers, postgraduate and graduate students who are interested in understanding the impact and importance of the omics approach to humans and their microbiomes.

With one volume each year, this series keeps scientists and advanced students informed of the latest developments and results in all areas of the plant sciences.
The present volume includes reviews on genetics, cell biology, physiology, comparative morphology, ecology and vegetation science.

Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mushrooms is indispensable to anyone fascinated by mushrooms and other fungi. Lavishly illustrated, it contains detailed information about 420 types of mushrooms and other fungi found in the United States and Europe. The comprehensive introduction provides general information on the structure, reproduction, life cycles, classification, and distribution of the various species and describes the individual parts of the fungus as well. The entries describe the appearance, habitat, and geographic distribution of each species of fungi. The easy-to-use visual key provides each entry with immediately recognizable symbols that indicate spore color, ecological environment, and whether the species is edible or poisonous. A glossary and analytical index, plus an Index to Genera for locating particular subjects, help make this the most beautiful, valuable, and authoritative book in the field.

The COVID-19 pandemic that swept the planet in the early 2020s killed more than six million, delivered unimaginable human suffering and $22 trillion in lost global growth. We weren't prepared and should have been.Unraveling the secrets of microbes, an invisible parallel universe of tiny life forms all around us, is central to managing the big twenty-first-century challenges of pandemics, bioterrorism, food security and climate change. Scientists, technologists, entrepreneurs and political leaders are racing to decode this biological realm with powerful new tools to extend human lifespans and make the world safer and more prosperous. Yet such technologies need to be handled with care. The price of getting this wrong will be unbearable.Man Versus Microbe is about humanity's competitive, symbiotic and precarious relationship with the microbial world. Brian Bremner (Senior Executive Editor, Bloomberg) offers a book on the exhilarating fields of synthetic biology and genetics, abundant with material on emerging technologies to deepen one's understanding of how virus hunters chase bugs or how geneticists unlock the workings of a microbe's constituent DNA. This book is for readers who want to learn more about humanity's fight to contain future pandemics and better understand the risks and opportunities of living in the world of microbes. After navigating through a disruptive pandemic, we are all amateur epidemiologists now.

Autoimmune diseases are conditions where the immune system attacks the body organs instead of foreign invaders. This book deals with the various mechanisms by which infectious agents can trigger autoimmunity such as molecular mimicry and polyclonal activation. An overview is given with regard to bacteria, viruses, and parasites associated with autoimmunity, and a summary is given on classical autoimmune diseases and the infecting agents that can induce them.

Yeasts are a versatile group of eukaryotic microorganisms, exhibiting heterogeneous nutritional profiles and an extraordinary ability to survive in a wide range of natural and man-associated ecosystems, including cold habitats. Cold-adapted yeasts inhabit numerous low-temperature environments where they are subjected to seasonal or permanent cold conditions. Hence, they have evolved a number of adaptation strategies with regard to growth and reproduction, metabolic activities, survival and protection. Due to their distinctive ability to thrive successfully at low and even subzero temperatures, cold-adapted yeasts are increasingly attracting attention in basic science and industry for their enormous biotechnological potential.

This book presents our current understanding of the diversity and ecology of cold-adapted yeasts in worldwide cold ecosystems, their adaptation strategies, and their biotechnological significance. Special emphasis is placed on the exploitation of cold-adapted yeasts as a source of cold-active enzymes and biopolymers, as well as their benefits for food microbiology, bioremediation and biocontrol. Further, aspects of food biodeterioration are considered.

This book highlights important aspects of food biotechnology. It is very thoughtfully divided into five sections. The first section introduces the readers to food biotechnology and discusses functional foods, use of plant and animal biotechnology in improving food quality. The second section deals with food microbiology and includes topics such as application of microbial surfactants, use of probiotics, beneficial microorganisms used in food industry etc. The third section describes important macro and micromolecules in foods. It includes chapters on food enzymes, gluten free formulations, use of biopolymers, biofortification of food and other important topics. The next section discusses novel technologies such as use of nanotechnology in food industry, reverse micelle techniques, genome editing in food crops etc. The book culminates with a section on food quality and management. It describes important topics about biosafety and regulatory issues in food biotechnology. This book is meant for students, researchers and course instructors in food science, food technology and biotechnology. It is also useful for industry experts in the area of food technology.

This book focuses on agricultural waste treatment and renewable energy production from the perspective of anaerobic digestion. It covers topics on anaerobic digestion processes and practices in various types of biogas plant construction and management and systematically addresses the principle and main features of three kinds of anaerobic digestion systems: household digesters, biogas septic tanks, and biogas plants. Instructive, informative and easy to understand, the book offers a valuable asset for researchers, technicians, graduate students and managerial personnel working in the areas of renewable energy, agricultural ecological engineering and the treatment and utilization of agricultural wastes.

Sebacinales have emerged as a fascinating order with mutualistic plant-fungal symbionts that consists of exclusively beneficial fungi.

This volume of Soil Biology presents an overview of the current results in Sebacinales research with a focus on the potential of these fungi in crop improvement and stress tolerance. The authors demonstrate that Sebacinales are not only extremely versatile in their associations with roots, but are also almost universally present as symptomless endophytes. With this extraordinary diversity, Sebacinales with the key fungus "Piriformospora indica" might possess remarkable significance in natural ecosystems. Their biotechnological applications are expected to improve the quality of crops while maintaining ecologically and economically sustainable production systems.

This book provides a comprehensive description of theories and applications of high-solid and multi-phase bioprocess engineering, which is considered as an important way to address the challenges of "high energy consumption, high pollution and high emissions" in bio-industry. It starts from specifying the solid-phase matrix properties that contribute to a series of "solid effects" on bioprocess, including mass transfer restrictions in porous media, water binding effects, rheological changes. Then it proposes the new principles of periodic intensification which combines the normal force and physiologic characteristics of microorganism for the bioprocess optimization and scale-up. Further breakthroughs in key periodic intensification techniques such as periodic peristalsis and gas pressure pulsation are described in detail which provide an industrialization platform and lay the foundation for high-solid and multi-phase bioprocess engineering. This book offers an excellent reference and guide for scientists and engineers engaged in the research on both the theoretical and practical aspects of high-solid and multi-phase bioprocess.

Not only an invaluable reference to what is known about lichen bionts and their interactions but also a guide to future studies. Compares various aspects of lichen-forming bionts with those of other fungi, algae and cyanobacteria. Features in-depth descriptions of culture methods. Includes over 1000 references representing a selective sampling in such subjects as air pollution, photosynthesis and respiration.

The Argentinean Patagonia offers a great diversity of scarcely explored environments suitable for the bioprospection of biotechnological relevant microorganisms. This book provides readers with a concise and clearly illustrated treatment of outstanding topics of Patagonian microbiology and biotechnology. It covers a wide range of areas interesting to several audiences such as researchers, graduate students and professionals working on the industry food. Among the main topics we will discuss examples of environmental applications, such as heavy metal and hydrocarbon bioremediation, bioprospection of valuable molecules from extremophilic bacteria and yeasts, the use of Patagonian yeasts and lactic acid bacteria in fermented foods and beverages, aquaculture probiotics and yeasts for food biopreservation.

Interest in the field of microbial toxins is ever growing and spreading across a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines." "In an effort to supplement the available reference texts on toxins, "Microbial Toxins: Methods and Protocols" includes protocols on mold fungus toxins, with some focus on aflatoxins. Intended to support a wide variety of researchers, "Microbial Toxins: Methods and Protocols "presents the reader with biological, chemical, physical, and medical approaches, as well as state-of-the-art research techniques. Divided into three convenient sections, this detailed volume covers bacterial protein toxins, endotoxins, and mold fungus toxins. Written in the highly successful "Methods in Molecular Biology " series format, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Authoritative and accessible, "Microbial Toxins: Methods and Protocols "seeks to serve both professionals and novices with its well-honed methodologies in an effort to further our knowledge of this essential field.

Interest in biofilms has increased dramatically in recent years. New microscopic and molecular techniques have revolutionized our understanding of biofilm structure, composition, organization and activities. This book brings advances in the prevention and treatment of biofilm-related diseases to the attention of clinicians and medical researchers. Human tissues often support complex microbial communities growing as biofilms that can cause infections. As microbes in biofilms exhibit increased tolerance towards anti-microbial agents and decreased susceptibility to host defense systems, biofilm-associated diseases have become increasingly difficult to treat.

Nanotechnology progresses its concerts and suitability by improving its effectiveness, security and also reducing the impact and risk. Various chapters in this book are written by eminent scientists and prominent researchers in the field of nanotechnology across the world. This book is focused to put emerging techniques forward using nanoparticles for safe and nutritional food production, protecting crops from pests, increasing nutritional value and providing solutions for various environmental issues. The outcome of this book creates a path for wide usage of nanoparticles in food, agriculture and the environment fields. This book has clear and simple illustrations, tables and case studies to understand the content even by non-experts. This book especially deals with the nanotechnology for controlling plant pathogens, food packaging and preservation, agricultural productivity, waste water treatment and bioenergy production. Hence, this book can be adopted and used by many researchers and academicians in the fields of food, agriculture, environment and nanotechnology for catering the needs of sustainable future. The salient features of this book are * Describes nanotechnology as an interdisciplinary and emerging field in life sciences* Useful for researchers in the cutting edge life science related fields of nanoscience, nanobiology and nanotechnology* Deal with various problems in food, agriculture and environmental sector for sustainable solutions through the application of nanotechnology* Supported with illustrations in color, tables and case studies (wherever applicable), and * Contributed and well written by nanotechnology experts from across various disciplines

In the pursuit of technological advancement in the field of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to counteract health issues, bacterial infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The ability of bacterial pathogens to form biofilms further agglomerates the situation by showing resistance to conventional antibiotics. To overcome this serious issue, bioactive metabolites and other natural products were exploited to combat bacterial infections and biofilm-related health consequences. Natural products exhibited promising results in vitro, however; their efficacy in in vivo conditions remain obscured due to their low-solubility, bioavailability, and biocompatibility issues. In this scenario, nanotechnological interventions provide a multifaceted platform for targeted delivery of bioactive compounds by slow and sustained release of drug-like compounds. The unique physico-chemical properties, biocompatibility and eco-friendly nature of bioinspired nanostructures has revolutionized the field of biology to eradicate microbial infections and biofilm-related complications. The green-nanotechnology based metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles have been regularly employed for antimicrobial and antibiofilm applications without causing damage to host tissues. The implications of these nanoparticles toward achieving sustainability in agriculture by providing systemic resistance against a variety of phytopathogens therefore plays crucial role in growth and crop productivity. Also the advent of smart and hybrid nanomaterials such as metal-based polymer nanocomposites, lipid-based nanomaterials and liposomes have the inherent potential to eradicate bacterial biofilm-related infections in an efficient manner. The recent development of carbon-based nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silica based nanomaterials such as mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) also exploit a target of dreadful healthcare conditions such as cancer, immunomodulatory diseases, and microbial infections, as well as biofilm-related issues owing to their stability profile, biocompatibility, and unique physio-chemical properties. Recently novel physical approaches such as photothermal therapy (PTT) and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) also revolutionized conventional strategies and are engaged in eradicating microbial biofilm-related infections and related health consequences. These promising advancements in the development of novel strategies to treat microbial infections and biofilm-related multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon may provide new avenues and aid to conventional antimicrobial therapeutics.

This book provides excellent techniques for detecting and evaluating biofilms: sticky films on materials that are formed by bacterial activity and produce a range of industrial and medical problems such as corrosion, sanitary problems, and infections. Accordingly, it is essential to control biofilms and to establish appropriate countermeasures, from both industrial and medical viewpoints. This book offers valuable, detailed information on these countermeasures. It also discusses the fundamentals of biofilms, relates various substrates to biofilms, and presents a variety of biofilm reactors. However, the most important feature of this book (unlike others on the market) is its clear focus on addressing the practical aspects from an engineering viewpoint. Therefore, it offers an excellent practical guide for engineers and researchers in various fields, and can also be used as a great academic textbook.

New research, outbreaks of foodborne disease and changes to legislation mean that food microbiology research is constantly evolving. Advances in microbial food safety: Volume 1 summarises the key trends in this area for the food industry.
The book begins with an introductory chapter discussing food safety management systems from the past to the present day and looking to future directions. The book moves on to provide updates on specific pathogens including Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus species. New developments in the area are explored with chapters on emerging parasites in food, advances in separation and concentration of microorganisms from food samples, new approaches in microbial pathogen detection, and an update on novel methods for pathogen control in livestock preharvest.
With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Advances in microbial food safety: Volume 1 is a standard reference for researchers, consultants and managers in the food industry responsible for food safety, analytical laboratories testing the safety of the food we eat, and researchers in academia working on food microbial safety.
Summarises new research, outbreaks of foodborne disease and changes to legislation in food microbiology researchExamines past, present and future food safety management systemsProvides updates on specific pathogens including Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus species

The book covers different techniques and methodologies involved in the nutritional quality analysis of forages. It also discusses the nutritional quality, anti-nutritional components, factors affecting forage quality, feed processing and conservation. Different techniques and methodologies have been presented in a simplified manner. The book has been divided in separate chapters and each chapter discusses different aspect of forage quality. Further, the book also covers the topics on conservation and processing of forages and management techniques for improving the forage nutritional quality. This book is an essential source of information for research scholars, post-graduate students and scientists working on forage quality estimation and also in livestock and dairy industries.

This book highlights the importance of various emerging technologies that are used to clean up the environment from pollution caused by human activities. It assesses several existing applied and environmental microbiological techniques and introduces new technologies through applied aspects. Select topics covered include municipal wastewater treatment, environmental microorganisms, metal pollutants in the environment, and biogeochemical cycling.

This third book in the Trilogy of Traditional Foods, part of the ISEKI Food Series, covers the beneficial properties of functional foods from across the world. The volume is divided into four sections that address different key topics in the area of study. Part I provides a general overview of the material, with chapters on functional aspects of antioxidants and probiotics in traditional food. This section also includes chapters on the potential health benefits of Thai, Slovak and Turkish traditional foods. Part II contains eight chapters on cereal-based foods, including chapters on Carob flour, products from Mexican Chia, and the ancient grain Canahua. Part III is devoted to plant based foods and includes chapters on dates from Israel, medical properties of cactus products from Mexico, beneficial properties of Mastic gum from the Greek island Chios, and the properties of Argan oil from Morocco. Part IV focuses on Honey and Beverages, with chapters on functional and nutritional properties of honey and the properties of Camellia tea, as well as the Spanish drink Horchata De Chufa. The purpose of the book is to describe and sometimes evaluate properties of foods that native consumers have believed to be beneficial. All chaptersare written by practicing Food Scientists or Engineers but are written with the interested general public in mind.The book should cater to the practicing food professional as well as all who are interested in beneficial properties of traditional foods.