BOOK REVIEWS

BREAKFAST CEREALS AND HOW THEY ARE MADE, 2nd ed. Robert B. Fast and Elwood F. Caldwell, eds. American Association of Cereal Chemists, 3340 Pilot Knob Rd., St. Paul, MN 55121-2097 (call 651-454-7250 or 800-328-7560; fax 651-454-0766; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.scisoc.org/aacc/bookstore). ISBN: 1-891127-15-2. 2000. 562 pp. $139.

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (RTE) have become increasingly popular for well over a century, spilling over from the original “health food” into the convenience and nutraceutical food categories. Their technology and consumption, however, were long based more on art than science, more on mysticism than understanding. The publication a decade ago of the highly successful first edition of this comprehensive reference was the first serious effort to provide a sound general basis for understanding RTE manufacturing technology. This second edition has expanded by nearly 50%, updating the original chapters and adding new ones, and reflects developments such as newly available instrumentation that can be used to monitor or verify production processes. By integrating many chapters, most having multiple authors, the editors have done an unusually good job of presenting a unified source valuable to anyone interested in any phase of RTE, from concept and prototype development through pilot plant, production, and packaging.

The chapters, all of which are written by individuals with sound theoretical understanding as well as practical experience, address most aspects of RTE. Four chapters covering major unit operations (blending and cooking, drying, flaking and toasting, and extrusion) follow chapters describing the cereal grains commonly used and an overview of the major manufacturing processes. Nutrition, fortification, and applications techniques follow, as well as a chapter on packaging. Though the book principally addresses RTE, there is also a chapter on hot cereals. The book concludes with a chapter on quality control, including HACCP, SQC, and pest management, and two new chapters covering computer control and environmental issues in the industry.

There are also author and subject indices and an unusual, but potentially very useful, appendix listing manufacturers for the major process equipment described in respective chapters. I highly recommend this book as a general reference and a university-level textbook, and for use by individuals in the RTE industry.

C.E. (Chuck) Walker, Professor, Dept. of Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan

SENSORY EVALUATION TECHNIQUES, 3rd ed. Morten C. Meilgaard, Gail Vance Civille, and Thomas B. Carr. CRC Press LLC, 2000 Corporate Blvd. N.W., Boca Raton, FL 33431-9868 (call 800-272-7737; fax 800-374-3401; E-mail: [email protected]). ISBN: 0-8493-0276-5. 1999. 387 pp. $129.95.

As a practicing sensory professional, I have a bookshelf full of texts and references that I rely on to help me consistently design, execute, analyze, and report sound sensory tests. Over the years, my list of “go to” texts has shortened, and among those is this very comprehensive book on sensory evaluation techniques. In the newly published third edition, the authors have updated statistical theory, expanded descriptive lexicon related to the Spectrum™ method, cross-referenced other recently published texts in the field, and devoted discussion to relationships between sensory, instrumental and consumer data.

The general content and design of the book remain similar to the second edition, with early chapters addressing sensory physiology, test controls, lab design, principles of sensory response measurement, and factors influencing results (biases, errors, etc.). The heart of the book covers how to design, conduct, and interpret various types of sensory tests. This includes a broad group of discrimination tests, threshold determinations, affective tests, and descriptive analysis techniques. One of the reasons I have relied on this text is because a thorough explanation of the appropriate statistical design and analysis is related to each test type. In many cases, a detailed example is provided. The text ends with chapters devoted specifically to statistical techniques and principles. This information will not overwhelm a statistics novice, because the discussion of theory is written in a concise, easily understood style.

The third edition is worth updating one’s library, for a number of reasons. In Chapter 6, the authors have presented a new approach to discrimination testing called the “unified” procedure. This approach allows the researcher designing the test to demonstrate either difference or similarity by protecting against both α and β risks. This is an excellent solution to the dilemma the researcher might face when conflicting objectives are wanted from the same set of test results. This is not uncommon in industry when, for example, the supply chain might desire proof of “difference” and product development proof of “similarity.”

Civille’s Spectrum descriptive technique is greatly expanded, with a whole new chapter being added that includes full lexicons for many food products such as cookies, cheese, and spaghetti sauce. The updated terminology also includes lexicons for such nonfood categories as textiles/fabric feel and toothpaste. Additionally, revised intensity scales are provided for many common attributes such as crispness.

The field of sensory evaluation continues to expand in the use of multivariate techniques. Recognizing the increased application of these techniques to better understand data relationships (sensory–consumer, sensory–instrumental), the authors present an overview of these data analysis tools in Chapter 14.

This new edition will continue to be a reliable “how to” text for sensory professionals as well as an authoritative guide for academic courses. Hats off to the authors for their continued sensory intellectual curiosity, which allows them to stay abreast of this ever-evolving field.

Dana Craig-Petsinger, Director of Sensory, Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich.

PESTICIDES: MANAGING RISKS AND OPTIMIZING BENEFITS (ACS Symposium Series 734). Nancy N. Ragsdale and James N. Seiber, eds. Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016-4314. ISBN: 0-8412-3616-X. 1999. 286 pp. $100.

This book is a concise, accurate, and up-to-date review of pesticide issues in the United States. Key provisions of the Food Quality Protection Act (passed in August 1996) are clearly described, along with analyses of the Environmental Protection Act’s progress in developing approaches for implementing this law. There are in-depth discussions of the proposed approaches to ensure the protection of children and to test for potential endocrine effects. Several chapters provide insight into a broad range of consumer safety issues, including possible ways to reduce exposure and develop new reduced risk pesticides, and new technologies that could lead to changes in agricultural practices.

In recent years, the benefits of pesticides and their critical role in modern agriculture have not been widely discussed. This book thus fills an important gap. The benefits of pesticides and their role in integrated pest management will be of interest to many in the food industry, as will the chapters on global issues regarding pesticide regulation.

The reader will find many references and examples that should be useful for a wide variety of purposes, including simple and clear explanations of risk assessment and benefits for use in talking to consumers, students and corporate management. Research needs are proposed in many areas.

Barbara Petersen, Novigen Sciences, Inc., Washington, D.C.

BOOKS RECEIVED
A Chemical History Tour: Picturing Chemistry from Alchemy to Modern Molecular Science. Arthur Greenberg. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158-0012 (call 800-225-5945 or 212-850-6011; fax 212-850-6008; E-mail: [email protected]). ISBN: 0-471-35408-2. 2000. 312 pp. No price given.

Cross-National and Cross-Cultural Issues in Food Marketing. Erdener Kaynak, ed. International Business Press, c/o The Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice St., Binghamton, NY 13904-1580. (call 800-429-6784; fax 800-895-0582; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.haworthpressinc.com). ISBN: 0-7890-0963-3. 2000. 103 pp. $39.95 hardcover; $19.95 softcover.

The Economics of HACCP Costs and Benefits. Laurian J. Unnevehr. Eagan Press, American Assn. of Cereal Chemists, 3340 Pilot Knob Rd., St. Paul, MN 55121-2097 (call 651-454-7250; 651-454-0766; E-mail: [email protected]). ISBN: 1-891127-16-0. 2000. 412 pp. No price given.

Feeding the World: A Challenge for the Twenty-first Century. Vaclav Smil. The MIT Press, 5 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142-1493 (call The MIT Press at 800-356-0343; E-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://mitpress.mit.edu/). ISBN: 0-262-19432-5. 2000. 360 pp. $32.95.

FSTA Thesaurus 2000: Food Science and Technology Abstracts. Compiled by Linda Merryweather. Order from IFIS Publishing, Lane End House, Shinfield, Reading RG2 9BB, United Kingdom (call +44-118-988-3895; fax +44-118-988-5065; E-mail: [email protected]). ISBN: 0-86014-183-7. 2000. 343 pp. softcover. No price given.

Functional Foods II: Claims and Evidence. Judy Buttriss and Mike Saltmarsh, eds. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, United Kingdom. In North America, order from Springer Verlag New York, Inc., P.O. Box 2485, Secaucus, NJ 07096-2485 (call 800-777-4643; fax 201-348-4505; E-mail: [email protected]). ISBN: 0-85404-789-1. 2000. 244 pp. £59.50.

Principles of Color Technology, 3rd ed. Roy S. Berns. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158-0012 (call 800-225-5945 or 212-850-6011; fax 212-850-6008; E-mail: [email protected]). ISBN: 0-471-19459-X. 2000. 247 pp. No price given.

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