BOOK REVIEWS
PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN FOODS: METHODS, TECHNIQUES, AND REGULATIONS. W. George Fong, H. Anson Moye, James N. Seiber, and John P. Toth. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158 (212-850-6569; fax 212-850-6008). ISBN: 0-471-57400-7. 1999. 358 pp. $84.95.
Do you want to incorporate modern techniques into your existing laboratory operations? This book might be a good place to start. This reference is intended for scientists, both students and practitioners, who have an analytical chemistry background and are interested in brushing up on the latest approaches to measuring pesticides. It may not be the best book for a novice, since a comprehensive discussion is not possible given its length.
The book begins with a good overview of analytical chemistry instrumentation, along with a discussion of terminology, including a comprehensive discussion of limits of detection, background signal, and recovery. Subsequent chapters review traditional methods for extraction and cleanup of samples and the standard instrumentation for identifying and quantifying organic compounds as used by laboratories.
The overall content is good; however, one is left with the feeling that additional chapters on the chemistry of pesticides and on the latest features of modern analytical instruments would be helpful. The chapter involving mass spectrometry gives a good overview of instrumentation, but does a poor job of relating to pesticide analysis. I found myself flipping to the back of the book to look for an appendix that contained mass spectra for selected pesticides. Possibly the best chapters in the book involve solid-phase extraction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Chemists desiring to stay current with these emerging techniques would have a good reason to read this book.
The book concludes with a discussion of pesticide regulations that at first appears out of place until one realizes that many changes have occurred following passage of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. The authors are well known and highly respected in the area of analytical chemistry, especially as related to the analyses of food samples. They have many years of experience and share numerous insights from their experiences. On their reputations alone, I welcomed an opportunity to review their book. The timeliness of the book is very good, and I would recommend a reference copy on every chemist’s bookshelf.
Charles R. Santerre, Associate Professor, Dept. of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, Ind.
LACTIC ACID BACTERIA: MICROBIOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS, 2nd ed. Seppo Salminen and Atte von Wright, eds. Marcel Dekker, Inc., 270 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016-0602 (212-696-9000; fax 212-685-4540). ISBN: 0-8247-0133-X. 1998. 640 pp. $195.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) continue to be a major taxa of bacteria for fundamental investigation, justifiable by their enormous potential for agriculture and health applications. This book primarily addresses in chapter format the applications of LAB in modulating human and animal health. Also included are chapter titles that address fermented foods, but this is a secondary focus of the book.
This second edition includes a few new chapters as well as an updating of previous chapters. A well-developed initial chapter on classification and physiology provides sufficient and essential background for the reader to appreciate the subsequent chapters. A novel chapter on the use of LAB to inhibit mold aflatoxin production points to the diversity of potential industrial applications that these bacteria can offer. A seldom-seen review on the use of LAB in cereal-derived products is a nice addition, especially since it is presented from a nutrition viewpoint.
The chapter on antimicrobial components of LAB is repetitive of several reviews on the topic published elsewhere. Notably lacking are contributions from Dutch researchers, who drive and sustain much of the research on LAB.
This book is recommended for scientists delving into the health-associated attributes of LAB. It is also appropriate for graduate students and health professionals who have a serious or passing interest in the area. It certainly warrants shelf space in any land-grant or agriculture-based university library. Individuals in the dairy industry who have an interest in probiotic cultures should find this useful as a resource for references on documented probiotic health effects.
Mark A. Daeschel, Professor of Food Science and Technology, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis
FOOD ENGINEERING LABORATORY MANUAL. Gustavo V. Barbosa-Cánovas, Li Ma, and Blas Barletta. Technomic Publishing Company, Inc., 851 New Holland Ave., P.O. Box 3535, Lancaster, PA 17604 (800-233-9936; fax 717-295-4538; E-mail: [email protected]). ISBN: 1-56676-541-2. 1997. 141 pp.
While a number of excellent texts on food engineering from well-known authors have been published over the years, few food engineering laboratory manuals have been available. This volume provides an excellent choice.
There are 12 chapters, which can be covered in one semester. The first chapter, “Planning Experiments,” gives general information on mass and energy balances, laboratory orientation, and laboratory reports. The subsequent 11 chapters cover unit operations centered on food applications—friction loss determination in a pipe, convective heat transfer coefficient determination, thermal processing of foods (heat penetration and lethality determination), freezing of foods, drying of foods (tray drying, spray drying, and freeze drying), extrusion of foods, evaporation, and physical separations. Each chapter is well organized and has succinct descriptions of relevant theoretical background pertaining to each unit operation, the objectives of the laboratory exercise, materials and methods, expected results, examples, questions, and references. Examples and solutions are particularly valuable.
Despite my overall favorable impressions, there are several areas that should be improved for the second edition. Computer programs or spreadsheet tools are not used. Some references are out of date (e.g., p. 78, Geankopolis), incorrect (pp. 22 and 28, reference 2), or incomplete (p. 61, reference 2, and p. 78, reference 1). A larger printing font and better book binding would also be helpful.
Fu-hung Hsieh, Professor, Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
BOOKS RECEIVED
Animal Welfare and Meat Science. Neville G. Gregory. Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. ISBN: 0-85199-296-X. 1999. 298 pp. $90.
Childhood Obesity: Causes & Prevention (Symposium Proceedings, October 27, 1998). Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1120 - 20th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (202-418-2312; fax 202-208-2321). CNPP-6. 1999. 130 pp. No price given.
Evaluation of Certain Food Additives and Contaminants (49th report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives). World Health Organization, Marketing and Dissemination, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. Available in English; French and Spanish editions in preparation. Order No. 1100884. ISBN: 92-4-120884-8. 1999. 96 pp. US$18.; Sw.fr. 20.
Food Safety: The Implications of Change from Producerism to Consumerism. James J. Sheridan, Michael O’Keeffe, and Mark Rogers, eds. Food & Nutrition Press, Inc., 6527 Main St., P.O. Box 374, Trumbull, CT 06611 (203-261-8587; fax 203-261-9724; E-mail: [email protected]). ISBN: 0-917678-48-6. 1998. 232 pp. $79.
Functional Properties of Proteins and Lipids. John R. Whitaker, Fereidoon Shahidi, Agustin Lopez Munguia, Rickey Y. Yada, and Glenn Fuller, eds. Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. ISBN: 0-8412-3584-8. 1998. 292 pp. $110.
Handbook of Probiotics. Yuan-Kun Lee, Koji Nomoto, Seppo Salminen, and Sherwood L. Gorbach. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 (1-800-Call-Wiley). ISBN: 0-471-19025-X. 1999. 211 pp. No price given.
The Nutrition of the Rabbit. Carlos de Blas and Julian Wiseman, eds. Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. ISBN: 0-85199-279-X. 1999. 344 pp. $100.
Plantwide Process Control. Kelvin T. Erickson and John L. Hedrick. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 (212-850-6569 or 1-800-Call-Wiley). ISBN: 0-471-17835-7. 1999. 547 pp. $89.95.
Rapid Health Assessment Protocols for Emergencies. World Health Organization, Marketing and Dissemination, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. Available in English; French and Spanish editions in preparation. Order No. 1150463. ISBN: 92-4-154515-1. 1999. 97 pp. US$27.90; Sw.fr. 31.
BULLETINS RECEIVED
Alternative and Traditional Models for Safety Evaluation of Food Ingredients. Daniel J. Raiten, ed. Prepared for the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC 20204. Order from the Life Sciences Research Office, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and Special Publications, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3998 (301-530-7027; fax 301-571-1876). 1998. 140 pp. $35.
Codex Alimentarius, 2nd ed., Vol. 2B (1998). Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (ISBN: 92-5-004169-1) and Understanding the Codex Alimentarius (ISBN: 92-5-104248-9). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. Order from Sales and Marketing Group, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome Italy.
Food Chemical Surveillance Annual Report for 1998. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (MAFF). Order from MAFF Publications, ADMAIL 6000, London SW1A 2XX, England. 1999. 70 pp.