The development of recombinant DNA methods has changed the face of the food industry over the last 50 years. Crops which have been genetically modified are being cultivated in more and more countries and this process is likely to accelerate as desirable traits are identified and transferred to appropriate organisms, and they are cleared by the regulatory authorities. However, the technique has its critics who claim that modification of the genome of the plant (or animal) in this way may pose unknown and unacceptable risks to the human consumer. Genetic Modification and Food Quality: A Down to Earth Analysis is the first comprehensive text on how GM production methods influence the quality of foods and feeds, based on a complete and unbiased assessment of the scientific findings. It presents a balanced analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of gene-modified food sources in the human diet. Chapters approach the topic with regard to different food types such as cereal grains, oilseed crops, vegetables, fish and animal products. Assessing the nutritive value as well as the health and safety of GMO foods, this book is a reference for anyone working in the food production industry and will also be of an interest to NGOs, trade associations and consumers who are looking for an objective, balanced study of this contentious issue.

The internet is rife with biased and unsubstantiated claims from the organic industry, and the treatment of issues such as food safety and quality by the media ("if it bleeds, it leads") tends to have a negative impact on consumer perceptions about conventional food. Until recently, more and more consumers in many countries were opting to buy organic food over conventional food, resulting in a radical shift in food retailing. This was due to concerns over chemical residues, food poisoning resulting in recalls, food scares such as "mad-cow" disease, issues like gene-modified (GM foods), antibiotics, hormones, cloning and concerns over the way plants and animals are being grown commercially as food sources. As a result there has been an expansion of the organic industry and the supply of organic foods at farmers' markets, supermarkets and specialty stores.

"Organic Production and Food Quality: A Down to Earth Analysis "is the first comprehensive book on how organic production methods influence the safety and quality of foods, based on an unbiased assessment of the latest scientific findings. The title is a 'must-have' for everyone working within the food industry.Comprehensive explanation of organic production methods and effects on the safety and quality of foodsAuthoritative, unbiased and up-to-date examination of relevant global scientific researchAnswers the questions of whether organic food is more nutritious and/or more healthy

This report describes certification of the Mw of SRM 2888, a polystyrene (PS), by light scattering. As supplemental numbers, the Mn by NMR end group analysis and the Mw, Mn and the MMD by MALDI-TOF-MS are also given. SRM 2888 was prepared commercially for NIST Polymers Division for use as a standard for Size Exclusion Chromatography and as a narrow distribution polymer standard with well-defined classical molecular mass moments for comparative studies by MALDI-MS. This material was specially prepared and characterized for well-defined end groups. After packaging of this material for future distribution, the Mw was determined by light scattering and Mn determined by solution NMR. End groups were further studied by FTIR and MALDI-TOF-MS. The MMD was studied by MALDI-TOF-MS. The bottle-to-bottle homogeneity of this Standard Reference Material (SRM) was examined by size exclusion chromatography (SEC).