Process control is a significant topic for all engineers responsible for industrial processing operations. This book introduces the reader to the range of process control techniques as applied to food and agricultural systems. It begins with an introduction to process modeling and control. Fundamental methods of process control are carefully explained in sections from dynamic modeling to control designing and implementation. The different methods of process control are accompanied by examples of application specific to food and agricultural industries.

The sales of organic products have increased significantly over the last five years in Europe and the USA. This, along with the EU's definition of organic in 1993, has prompted the publication of a practical guide which describes what is involved in the processing and production of organic food ingredients and products. This handbook emphasizes technological, economic and regulatory issues, and includes a directory of companies which sell and produce organic foods and ingredients. It should interest organic food manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, organic farmers and growers, and those in academic research institutions.

The central theme for this volume was chosen since consumers have great interest in purchasing low fat, low salt and reduced cholesterol meat, poultry and fish products. As in past volumes, experts in the field have been chosen to write chapters with emphasis on their breadth of knowl edge in each specific area. Efforts were also made to obtain authors from different countries in order to give the book a worldwide perspective. Chapter I stresses the nutritional and sensory properties that meat, poultry and fish products make to healthful diets and discusses consumer concerns about these products. Chapter 2 covers dietary recommendations in major consumer nations, along with data from food composition tables and the dietary contributions of meat, poultry and fish to meeting dietary needs. Chapter 3 discusses the labeling of low and reduced fat/salt prod ucts which, although written mainly from the US viewpoint, may serve as a model for labeling in other countries. Chapter 4 reviews the rationale for reducing fat-energy levels in muscle foods, problems encountered in their production and how these may be solved. Chapter 5 discusses the scientific basis for reducing the salt (sodium) content in food products and the health benefits derived from lowering salt intake. Methods of reducing the cholesterol content of these animal products is reviewed in Chapter 6."

Reprint of Winery Utilities: Planning, Design and Operation. This is the first reference to integrate the basic planning, design and operational function of the many support systems that make a winery operate successfully. The author, an expert on wineries, gathers the essential elements of the major energy, water, wastewater, communication, solid waste, fuel, and fire protection groups and each other of their important subcategories, into one solid source. Comprehensive, easy-to-use chapters in this book provide winery principles with: The necessary tools on how to avoid regulatory agency problems when obtaining use permits and meeting building code requirements at the planning stage. Useful guidelines for designing utilities for eventual expansion to meet anticipated production measures or for checking options for system upgrading or improvement. Helpful comparisons of utility systems or subsystems that work against those that do not and why. Contemporary environmental constraints and methods for minimizing environmental disruption in the design of utilities.

The best-selling first edition of this contributed book established itself as a highly practical and authoritative source of information on shelf-life evaluation. Every food manufacturer is concerned about shelf life, as are the major retailers and ingredient suppliers. Increasing consumer interest in food safety, quality and date marking, competitive pressures from retailers and extensive legislative changes have combined to give this subject new significance. A proper evaluation of shelf life must be grounded on sound scientific prinicles, supported by up-to-date techniques. This book begins with six chapters reviewing the principles of shelf-life evaluation, followed by ten chapters on a number of selected food products such as chilled yogurt and other dairy desserts, seafood, and meat. The latest edition has been expanded to include new chapters on HACCP, preservation technology and shelf life, and minimally processed, ready-to-eat ambient-stable meat products. Sufficient information on the principles and practice of shelf life evaluation has been included for the beginner as well as for those who are more experienced in this area.

Advances in Food and Nutrition Research recognizes the integral relationship between the food and nutritional sciences and brings together outstanding and comprehensive reviews that highlight this relationship. Contributions detail the scientific developments in the broad areas encompassed by the fields of food science and nutrition and are intended to ensure that food scientists in academic and industry as well as professional nutritionists and dieticians are kept informed concerning emerging research and developments in these important disciplines.
Key Features
* This volume includes three thematic chapters:
* The Role of Flavoring Substances in Food Allergy and Intolerance
* The Use of Amino Acid Sequence Alignments to Assess Potential Allergenicity of Proteins Used in Genetically Modified Foods
* Sequence Databases for Assessing the Potential Allergeniticity of Proteins Used in Transgenic Foods

This up-to-date survey covers selected but vital aspects of fish processing with emphasis on quality, technology and nutraceutical applications. The aspects of seafood quality addressed range from the impact of slaughter procedures, through protein functionality, texture, flavor, histamine toxicity to the key aspects of practical evaluation of quality and measurement of fish content. Technological aspects concentrate on automation in fish processing, waste water treatment and possible uses for value added products from fish waste. With respect to novel applications of the marine resource, the important areas of marine nutraceuticals / functional foods are discussed in detail. This book is highly recommended for scientists and technologists in the seafood industries. It is also of proven value to fish processing professionals, quality managers, processors, nutritional and sensory scientists.

This edited volume provides a biosemiotic analysis of the ecological relationship between food and medicine. Drawing on the origins of semiotics in medicine, this collection proposes innovative ways of considering aliments and treatments. Considering the ever-evolving character of our understanding of meaning-making in biology, and considering the keen popular interest in issues relating to food and medicines - fueled by an increasing body of interdisciplinary knowledge - the contributions here provide diverse insights and arguments into the larger ecology of organisms' engagement with and transformation through taking in matter. Bodies interpret molecules, enzymes, and alkaloids they intentionally and unintentionally come in contact with according to their pre-existing receptors. But their receptors are also changed by the experience. Once the body has identified a particular substance, it responds by initiating semiotic sequences and negotiations that fulfill vital functions for the organism at macro-, meso-, and micro-scales. Human abilities to distill and extract the living world into highly refined foods and medicines, however, have created substances far more potent than their counterparts in our historical evolution. Many of these substances also lack certain accompanying proteins, enzymes, and alkaloids that otherwise aid digestion or protect against side-effects in active extracted chemicals. Human biology has yet to catch up with human inventions such as supernormal foods and medicines that may flood receptors, overwhelming the body's normal satiation mechanisms. This volume discusses how biosemioticians can come to terms with these networks of meaning, providing a valuable and provocative compendium for semioticians, medical researchers and practitioners, sociologists, cultural theorists, bioethicists and scholars investigating the interdisciplinary questions stemming from food and medicine.

Food packaging materials have traditionally been chosen to avoid unwanted interactions with the food. During the past two decades a wide variety of packaging materials have been devised or developed to interact with the food. These packaging materials, which are designed to perform some desired role other than to provide an inert barrier to outside influences, are termed 'active packaging'. The benefits of active packaging are based on both chemical and physical effects. Active packaging concepts have often been presented to the food industry with few supporting results of background research. This manner of introduction has led to substantial uncertainty by potential users because claims have sometimes been based on extrapolation from what little proven information is available. The forms of active packaging have been chosen to respond to various food properties which are often unrelated to one another. For instance many packaging requirements for post harvest horticultural produce are quite different from those for most processed foods. The object of this book is to introduce and consolidate information upon which active packaging concepts are based. Scientists, technologists, students and regulators will find here the basis of those active packaging materials, which are either commercial or proposed. The book should assist the inquirer to understand how other concepts might be applied or where they should be rejected.

Nutrition and Osteoporosis: Seeing Through a Glass, Darkly (1 Cor. 13:12) This volume of Advances in Nutritional Research deals with the present state of knowledge relative to the role of nutrition in the etiology of osteoporosis, one of the most serious degenerative diseases in the aging population. As a back drop for subsequent chapters on specific nutrients, Chapter 1 provides a com prehensive account of the gain and loss of bone throughout the life cycle, with emphasis on the architectural changes in later life that predispose to osteoporotic bone fractures. Chapter 2 documents the occurrence of aging bone loss through out human archeological history and Chapter 3 extends this documentation to all non-human vertebrate species so far examined, including primates living in the wild. It is apparent that a progressive loss of bone tissue is a normal accompaniment of aging among higher vertebrates. Whether it is a cause of bone fractures in animals, as it is in humans, is still unknown. It has also been established that there are significant differences in the frequency of osteoporotic fractures among human families, ethnic groups, national populations and diet cultures. Numerous studies have been carried out in an effort to explain these differences, and many of these deal with the possible effect of nutrition. Protracted controversies over the role of nutrition in the etiology of osteoporosis are reflected in the contents of several of the ensuing chapters."

Food Enzymes: Structure and Mechanism is the first volume to bring together current information on the structures and mechanisms of important food enzymes. It provides an in-depth discussion of the dynamic aspects of enzyme structures and their relationship to the chemistry of catalysis. The book emphasizes aspects of the chemistry of enzyme structure and mechanism seldom covered in the food science literature. It includes a thorough discussion of the genetic modification of enzyme structures and functions with reference to specific food enzymes. More than 100 illustrations enhance the clarity of important concepts. Comprehensive references reflect the current state of knowledge on enzyme actions.

This volume presents the physiological and biochemical aspects of storage carbohydrates, or starch granules, in plants. This up-to-date and thorough resource carefully integrates fundamental knowledge with the most recent information on the starch granule. It discusses the chemistry of the starch granule and the biochemistry, molecular biology, plant physiology, and genetics of plant starch synthesis. The books also describes the implications of these studies for theseed, biotechnology, and modified starch industries.
Key Features
* Written for a broad readership
* Emphasizes the recent findings on the properties of starch biosynthetic enzymes and on studies describing their localization
* Details the implications these studies have on the seed, biotechnology, and modified starch industries
* Includes numerous references to the original literature
* Introduces the reader to the most important individuals and discoveries in the field

Completely revised and updated, this wide-ranging, comprehensive treatise examines the many different aspects of vegetables from an international perspective. This logically organized text, filled with numerous illustrations, photographs, and tables, begins with and easy-to-read introduction to such topics as: the current role of vegetables as a world food crop, the origin and classification of vegetables, vegetables in human nutrition, and plant toxicants and folklore concerning vegetables. Background material on the basic principles for growing crops and production under adverse conditions are also featured in this section. Much of the material covered in the book focuses on the major and minor vegetables, their origin, taxonomy, botany, physiology, production and post harvest handling, and composition and use. In addition, current world production statistics are provided for many vegetable crops as well as listings of important diseases, insects, and other pest for many family groups. New features of this edition include: Three new chapters covering mushrooms, aquatic vegetables, and herbs and spices, several appendix tables listing vegetables according to family, genus, species, nutritive value, and recommended storage conditions for many vegetables . The introductory chapter offers an excellent background of the role of vegetables for the beginning and advanced students, both in the U.S. and worldwide. The chapters following provide extension professionals, professors, agricultural agencies, commercial growers, and processing and seed industry personnel with a better understanding of individual vegetable species.

The first edition of Flavor of Meat and Meat Products was described as 'the best compilation of data on meat flavor yet published.' This edition has now been updated and extended to include the latest developments concerning both meat and fish flavor. It presents the latest research on species flavors, cured meat flavor, methods of assessment of flavor quality and consequences of meat deterioration. The coverage is divided into three parts which deal with species flavors, the effects of constituents and processing on flavor, and the analytical methods, chemical and sensory, of assessing meat flavor. The book is highly recommended for scientists and technologists in the meat and seafood industries. It is also of value to sensory scientists, quality managers and marketing personnel.

Modified atmospheres are used to preserve foods without the need for unwanted preservatives. This book covers the subject from an industrial perspective and explains both how the technology works, and how it can be used. The editor and authors all have extensive practical knowledge of the subject and are world recognized authorities in the field. The new edition contains four new chapters and around 50% new material overall.

The book summarizes the latest research and developments in dairy biotechnology and engineering. It provides a strategic approach for readers relating to fundamental research and practical work with lactic acid bacteria. The book covers every aspect from identification, ecology, taxonomy and industrial use. All contributors are experts who have substantial experience in the corresponding research field. The book is intended for researchers in the human, animal, and food sciences related to lactic acid bacteria. Dr. Heping Zhang is a Professor at the Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology and Engineering Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, China. Dr. Yimin Cai works in Livestock and Environment Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Japan.

1 2 MARCEL B. ROBERFROID AND GLENN R. GIBSON 1 Universite Catholique de Louvain, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Avenue Mounier 73, B-1200 Brussels, BELGIUM 2 Food Microbial Sciences Unit, Department of Food Science and Technology, The University of Reading, Reading, UK It is clear that diet fulfils a number of important human requirements. These include the provision of sufficient nutrients to meet the requirements of essential metabolic pathways, as well as the sensory (and social) values associated with eating. It is also evident that diet may control and modulate various body functions in a manner that can reduce the risk of certain diseases. This very broad view of nutrition has led to the development of foodstuffs with added "functionality." Many different definitions of functional foods have arisen. Most of these complicate the simple issue that a functional food is merely a dietary ingredient(s) that can have positive properties above its normal nutritional value. Other terms used to describe such foods include vitafoods, nutraceuticals, pharmafoods, foods for specified health use, health foods, designer foods, etc. Despite some trepidation, the concept has recently attracted much interest through a vast number of articles in both the popular and scientific media.

This book will introduce non-molecular biologists to diagnostic PCR-based te- nologies for the detection of pathogens in foods. By the conclusion of this book, the reader should be able to: 1) understand the principles behind PCR including real-time; 2) know the basics involved in the design, optimization, and imp- mentation of PCR in food microbiology lab setting; 3) interpret results; 4) know limitations and strengths of PCR; and 5) understand the basic principles behind a new fledgling technology, microarrays and its potential applications in food microbiology. This book will provide readers with the latest information on PCR and microarray based tests and their application towards the detection of bacterial, protozoal and viral pathogens in foods. Figures, charts, and tables will be used, where appropriate, to help illustrate concepts or provide the reader with useful information or resources as an important starting point in bringing molecular diagnostics into the food microbiology lab. This book is not designed to be a "cookbook"PCR manual with recipes and step-by-step instructions but rather serve as a primer or resource book for students, faculty, and other professionals interested in molecular biology and its integration into food safety. v Table of Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Chapter 1. PCR Basics Amanda Fairchild, M. S. , Margie D. Lee DVM, Ph. D. , and John J. Maurer, Ph. D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2. The Mythology of PCR: A Warning to the Wise John J. Maurer, Ph. D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Chapter 3.

A collection of readily reproducible classic and emerging molecular methods for the laboratory isolation and identification of the pathogens, viruses, and parasites that cause food-borne disease. Among the pathogens covered are specific bacteria, including Salmonella spp, Campylobacter spp., Listeria spp., and Bacillus spp.; viruses, including noroviruses and enteroviruses; and parasites, including Cryptosporidium and seafood nematode worms. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Biotechnology (TM) series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principles behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

This is the first comprehensive reference on pecan technology, and discusses the many factors that influence pecan quality. It presents extensive information on variety, cultural conditions, mechanization, processing, storage, prevention of spoilage, and methods for evaluating the quality of pecans.

Drying is traditionally defined as that unit operation which converts a liquid, solid or semi-solid feed material into a solid product of significantly lower moisture content. In most, although not all, cases it involves the application of thermal energy, which causes water to evaporate into the vapour phase. In practice, this definition encompasses a number of technologies which differ markedly in, for example, the manner in which energy is supplied to the foodstuff and in which product is transported through the dryer. Depending on the dryer type, the residence time may vary from a few seconds to several hours. Dryers designed to handle liquid feedstocks are naturally quite different from those intended to process moist solids. Even within these two broad categories, however, many distinct varieties of dryer have evolved to meet specific process ing needs. The dryer is frequently the last processing stage in the manufacture of a dehydrated food product. As such, it may not only bring about the desired reduction in moisture content but may also have a significant effect on a number of other properties, such as flavour, colour, texture, viability, and nutrient retention, for example. These properties, which are generally considered to affect the perceived quality of the end product, are often influenced by the temperature- moisture content-time profiles experienced by the foodstuff as it moves through the dryer. The underlying chemistry and physics are highly complex and, broadly speaking, only poorly understood."

This book provides a comprehensive overview of metabonomics and gut microbiota research from molecular analysis to population-based global health considerations. The topics include the discussion of the applications in relation to metabonomics and gut microbiota in nutritional research, in health and disease and a review of future therapeutical, nutraceutical and clinical applications. It also examines the translatability of systems biology approaches into applied clinical research and to patient health and nutrition. The rise in multifactorial disorders, the lack of understanding of the molecular processes at play and the needs for disease prediction in asymptomatic conditions are some of the many questions that system biology approaches are well suited to address. Achieving this goal lies in our ability to model and understand the complex web of interactions between genetics, metabolism, environmental factors and gut microbiota. Being the most densely populated microbial ecosystem on earth, gut microbiota co-evolved as a key component of human biology, essentially extending the physiological definition of humans. Major advances in microbiome research have shown that the contribution of the intestinal microbiota to the overall health status of the host has been so far underestimated. Human host gut microbial interaction is one of the most significant human health considerations of the present day with relevance for both prevention of disease via microbiota-oriented environmental protection as well as strategies for new therapeutic approaches using microbiota as targets and/or biomarkers. In many aspects, humans are not a complete and fully healthy organism without their appropriate microbiological components. Increasingly, scientific evidence identifies gut microbiota as a key biological interface between human genetics and environmental conditions encompassing nutrition. Microbiota dysbiosis or variation in metabolic activity has been associated with metabolic deregulation (e.g. obesity, inflammatory bowel disease), disease risk factor (e.g. coronary heart disease) and even the aetiology of various pathologies (e.g. autism, cancer), although causal role into impaired metabolism still needs to be established. Metabonomics and Gut Microbiota in Nutrition and Disease serves as a handbook for postgraduate students, researchers in life sciences or health sciences, scientists in academic and industrial environments working in application areas as diverse as health, disease, nutrition, microbial research and human clinical medicine.

'...aimed at the technical person (and) also a good basic book for undergraduate students...' - Food Technology New Zealand' - '...especially useful for food technologists and others in the industry or training for it.' - Food Australia

Organized by the French Speaking Society for Study and Research on Essential Trace Elements (SFERETE), the Fifth International Congress on Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology "Therapeutic Uses of Trace Elements" was held February 4-7. 1996, in Meribel (Savoy, France). This resort is situated in the heart of the Three Valleys domain, at the gate way of the beautiful Vanoise National Park. More than 250 participants covering six conti nents attended the meeting. This volume contains the text of plenary lectures and of several oral and poster communications. Trace element deficiencies are not only encountered in developing countries or during malnutrition. Subclinical features are also observed in developed societies where they consti tute a background for an impressive number of pathological states. Preventive and curative treatments with commercial products are often prescribed without reliable studies about their clinical interest or potential efficiency. By contrast empirical approaches such as the catalytic therapy, nutritional and pharmacological aspects of trace elements were emphasized on a sci entific basis to favor their rational therapeutic use."