P. R. Ashurst

The need for a further edition of a book is gratifying for contributors and editor alike. When faced with the corresponding challenge to identify what has changed in one sector of a particular industry, however, initial enthusiasm frequently declines. Nowhere is this more evident than in this book on food flavourings, because the industry still remains the tantalising blend of art, science and technology that was alluded to in the first edition. Instrumentation and analytical skills can now identify flavour components down to nanogram and picogram concentrations and yet the skilled flavourist is often still able to defeat this scientific ability. Many parts of the food industry, and in particular the more traditional outlets such as baking and confectionery, use flavours and methods of application that have changed little in fifty years. At the other end of the spectrum, advanced synthetic chemistry methods and computer-controlled natural product processes can give the flavour industrya greater selection of higher quality materials than ever before. The industry itself has, in recent years, undergone many commercial changes, and in the U.K. some manufacturers' names known for a century or more have disappeared to become part of larger corporate entities. Flavours are for the first time controlled, albeit in a small way, by statute based on a European Directive.

The need for a further edition of a book is gratifying for contributors and editor alike. When faced with the corresponding challenge to identify what has changed in one sector of a particular industry, however, initial enthusiasm frequently declines. Nowhere is this more evident than in this book on food flavourings, because the industry still remains the tantalising blend of art, science and technology that was alluded to in the first edition. Instrumentation and analytical skills can now identify flavour components down to nanogram and picogram concentrations and yet the skilled flavourist is often still able to defeat this scientific ability. Many parts of the food industry, and in particular the more traditional outlets such as baking and confectionery, use flavours and methods of application that have changed little in fifty years. At the other end of the spectrum, advanced synthetic chemistry methods and computer-controlled natural product processes can give the flavour industry a greater selection of higher quality materials than ever before. The industry itself has, in recent years, undergone many commercial changes, and in the U.K. some manufacturers' names known for a century or more have disappeared to become part of larger corporate entities. Flavours are for the first time controlled, albeit in a small way, by statute based on a European Directive.

Fruit and fruit products, in all their many varieties and variations, are major world commodities and part of the economic life blood of many countries, particularly in the developing world. The perception of the healthy nature of fruit is a major reason for its increased consumption in the developed world, and many consumers today find a wider selection of fruit varieties, available at all times of the year, than ever before. This volume, however, is not so much concerned with fresh fruit as those principal areas of processing to which it may be subjected. Fruit processing arose as a means of utilising a short-lived product and preserving its essential nutritional qualities as far as possible. A chapter on the nutritional aspects of fruit is included in this work to reflect the importance of this topic to most consumers. After a general introduction, the chapter on fruit storage is the only contribution which deals with a process from which fruit emerges in essentially the same physical condition. Beyond that the book sets out to cover most of the major areas in which fruit may be processed into forms which bear varying semblances to the original raw material.

Mit Beitragen zahlreicher Fachwissenschaftler

Fruit and fruit products, in all their many varieties and variations, are major world commodities and part of the economic life blood of many countries, particularly in the developing world. The perception of the healthy nature of fruit is a major reason for its increased consumption in the developed world, and many consumers today find a wider selection of fruit varieties, available at all times of the year, than ever before. This volume, however, is not so much concerned with fresh fruit as those principal areas of processing to which it may be subjected. Fruit processing arose as a means of utilising a short-lived product and preserving its essential nutritional qualities as far as possible. A chapter on the nutritional aspects of fruit is included in this work to reflect the importance of this topic to most consumers. After a general introduction, the chapter on fruit storage is the only contribution which deals with a process from which fruit emerges in essentially the same physical condition. Beyond that the book sets out to cover most of the major areas in which fruit may be processed into forms which bear varying semblances to the original raw material.