Water is recognized as being an important factor in numerous pheno mena connected with the quality of food. For instance, it plays a part in the textural properties of several commodities. Moreover, water is an essential parameter determining the behaviour of food products in the course of many processing operations : on water, will depend the amount of energy necessary for freezing or dehydrating the product; water will strongly influence the evolution of physical, chemical and biochemical phenomena taking place in the product during processing operations such as heating, drying, etc. Water will also influence the same reactions, as well as the activity of microorganisms, during the storage of food products under various conditions. As a result, all aspects of quality - sensory, nutritional and hygienic properties of the food - will be affected. In all these circumstances, the water content of a product is obviously an important factor, but equally important may be the physical properties of this water, such as its thermodynamic activity and its mobility. Actual ly, the concept of water activity (a ) is now widely used by the food industry and in the legislation of sever')Yl countries. The idea of a small, international meeting devoted to a synthetic review and discussion of knowledge on these various matters, was first developed by Dr. R. B.

Water is recognized as being an important factor in numerous pheno mena connected with the quality of food. For instance, it plays a part in the textural properties of several commodities. Moreover, water is an essential parameter determining the behaviour of food products in the course of many processing operations: on water, will depend the amount of energy necessary for freezing or dehydrating the product; water will strongly influence the evolution of physical, chemical and biochemical phenomena taking place in the product during processing operations such as heating, drying, etc. Water will also influence the same reactions, as well as the activity of microorganisms, during the storage of food products under various conditions. As a result, all aspects of quality - sensory, nutritional and hygienic properties of the food - will be affected. In all these circumstances, the water content of a product is obviously an important factor, but equally important may be the physical properties of this water, such as its thermodynamic activity and its mobility. Actual ly, the concept of water activity (a ) is now widely used by the food industry and in the legislation of sever')Yl countries. The idea of a small, international meeting devoted to a synthetic review and discussion of knowledge on these various matters, was first developed by Dr. R. B."

In this fourth and last volume of the series the presentation of methods and techniques for the analysis of foods, nutrients, antinutritional factors and contaminants in foods, is concisely described and referenced. This book will be a convenient source of information on the chemical analysis of food components for the manufacture, marketing and labelling of food products. It will help facilitate a better understanding for marketing goods globally. Food manufacturers, scientists, and technicians now have a valuable reference on the analytical procedures for foods used in Europe.

"Quality Control for Foods and Agricultural Products" is a single, complete, and practical reference to the wide variety of techniques for quality control in the production of food products. The book may also serve as a guidebook to other industries that are initiating or reviewing their quality control procedures.

This title provides an overview of the tools available for quality control in the food industry. Among the quality control measures discused are practical methodology, sampling methods, measurement devices, sensors, computer analysis, data interpretation, reference materials, and standardization. "Quality Control for Foods and Agricultural Products" allows the reader to compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages associated with a particular quality control method. Armed with this knowledge, the best possible quality control method may be chosen for a given product.

The complete 4-volume reference set Analysis and Control Methods for Food and Agricultural Products, edited by J.-L. Multon, offers researchers in the food and pharmaceutical industries a complete source of technical information for answering important questions on when and how to conduct an analysis of a specific product, how to interpret the resulting data how to define the risks associated with the introduction of a new product. Each volume includes a biobliograghy for further reading. The first volume 'Microbiological Control for Foods and Agricultural Products', edited by Bourgeois and Leveau, contains a wealth of practical information on applied food microbiology and food safety. It covers basic methods and procedures on specific microbes important to food industry, including new technology like PCR, DNA and RNA probes. This volume should be a useful reference and handy manual for food and applied microbiologists.