IFT Press Book discusses bitterness

The increasing demand for healthy foods has resulted in the food industry developing functional foods with health-promoting and/or disease-preventing properties, but many of these products bring new challenges. Bitterness associated with functional foods is one such challenge and will remain an issue in years to come; while drugs are taken for their efficacy, functional foods need to have tastes that are acceptable to consumers. A new IFT Press book, Bitterness: Perception, Chemistry, and Food Processing, written by Michel Aliani and Michael N. A. Eskin (ISBN: 978-1-118-59029-4), attempts to lessen the challenges associated with creating these healthful foods by providing a thorough understanding of bitterness, the food ingredients that cause it, and its accurate measurement.

This review includes an understanding of the genetics of bitterness perception and the molecular basis for individual differences in bitterness perception, as well as a detailed overview of the chemical structure of bitter compounds in foods where bitterness may be considered to be a positive or negative attribute. To better understand bitterness in foods, separation and analytical techniques used to identify and characterize bitter compounds are also covered. Processes such as the Maillard reaction and lipid oxidation, which occur during food processing, can generate bitter compounds. Since bitterness is considered a negative attribute in many foods, the methods being used to remove and/mask it are also thoroughly discussed.

IFT Press books, developed in partnership with Wiley-Blackwell and crafted through rigorous peer review and meticulous research, serve as leading-edge handbooks for industrial application and reference and as essential texts for academic programs. Topics of future books in the series include dairy processing, sustainability, fermented foods, flavor and satiety, and food packaging. IFT members receive a 35% discount on all Wiley-Blackwell books. The member coupon code is available at ift.org. Be sure to log in and check out the Knowledge Center/Read IFT Publications/IFT Press Books links for information on how to order any of the books in the IFT Press book series. For more information, call 877-762-2974 or visit wiley.com/go/ift. Manuscript proposals may be sent to David McDade, publisher, at [email protected] (+44-1865-47-6546).

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