New books

Food and People, edited by Michael R. Turner (1983)

This book, as its preface states, is a record of the Proceedings of the British Nutrition Foundation's 4th Annual Conference, held at the Royal College of Physicians, London, in June 1982 under the title food and People.

Its multidisciplinary approach includes social survey research, medical sociology and statistics; agricultural, food technology, and catering sectors; consumer interests, and food and nutrition sciences. The first three chapters deal with population and health trends, with special emphasis on social class, poverty, and nutrition, and reviews trends in food habits and what determines them.

Chapters 4 to 6 explore consumer and food manufacturer in a time of rapidly changing social attitudes and behaviour in relation to recent understanding of the link between nutrition and health and disease. The last five chapters center on recent trends in catering in schools, hospitals, and community services for the elderly and how best to approach institutional catering in terms of food and health. Because the proportion of food eaten away from home is increasing, the professional caterer's influence on what people eat is becoming greater.

The book may be obtained for 14.95 British pounds from: John Libbey & Company Limited, 80/84 Bondway, Vauxhall, London SW81SF, England.

It contains 192 pages, including index, 20 figures, 64 tables, and references.

Handbook of Indigenous Fermented Foods. Keith H. Steinkraus (Ed.), Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1983, in co-operation with the United Nations University.

For millions of people throughout the world, especially in the developing countries, fermented foods are important elements of the diet. The traditional methods of fermentation evolved through centuries of use. Fermentation brings about desired organoleptic properties of foods and improves their keeping quality. Through fermentation meat analogues are made from legumes, vegetables are preserved through acid fermentation, cereals are made into acid-leavened breads, pancakes, and gruels. It is important to study and understand the fermentation process involved, the type of microorganism(s) that brings about the fermentation, and the biochemical and nutritive changes that take place in the fermentation process before making attempts to introduce changes for improving nutritive value and other desirable qualities.

This book is based upon papers submitted to the Symposium on Indigenous Fermented Foods that was held in Bangkok, Thailand, 21-27 November 1977. The book's six sections describe the various fermentation processes traditionally employed to prepare protein-rich vegetarian meat substitutes from legumes; to preserve and enhance organoleptic and nutritional qualities of cereals through fermentation; to prepare indigenous fermented foods in which ethanol is a major product; to produce oriental fermented sauces and pastes with meat-like flavours, and to grow mushrooms from agricultural wastes. In addition to the detailed flow sheets shown for the various fermentation processes, a comprehensive review of the literature on the microbiology of each kind of fermentation is given. Of particular importance to the nutritionist is the description of the biochemical and nutritive changes occurring during fermentation and the associated bibliography. The book is an important source of material for researchers interested in the full range of exploring possibilities of fermented foods for their own populations.

R & D at the CFTRI: Three Decades (1950-1980)

This book is about the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore, India, its genesis, growth, and its research and development activities. From a humble beginning in 1950, it has grown into a premier centre for research, development, transfer of technology, training, and information in food science and technology. During the period 1950-1980, a large volume of original R & D publications and other information emanated from the Institute. The book is the first attempt to review comprehensively the R & D work and other information of the CFTRI since its inception.

The book has 20 chapters divided into five parts, four appendices, and an index. It begins with a resume of the genesis, growth, organizational structure, and functions of the CFTRI. This is followed by a detailed review in five chapters of the R & D work on different food commodities, viz., food grains, oilseeds, and unconventional sources of protein and fat, animal foods, fruits and vegetables, plantation products, and food flavours. Multicommodity research in areas such as the control of infestation of stored grains, process engineering, design and fabrication of food machinery, packaging technology, sensory evaluation of foods, fermentations and food microbiology, chemical, biochemical, nutritional, and toxicological investigations are reviewed in the subsequent six chapters. The formulated foods and beverages developed in the Institute are described in detail under a separate heading Each chapter is followed by a comprehensive bibliography. Other essential activities of the Institute, such as the transfer of technology and industrial consultancy services, food science and technology information service, the animal house, sophisticated instrument facilities, food quality analysis, and public relation have been recounted in detail. Training of personnel for the food industry is an important function of the CFTRI, and the UNU activity aims at providing training facilities in food science and technology at postgraduate, postdoctoral, and research management levels for personnel from other developing countries. Comprehensive lists of processes released to industry, processes ready for commercialization, feasibility reports, and consultant services rendered are included in the four appendices. The book ends with subject and author indices. It will therefore be of great value to postgraduate students, teachers, and researchers in all R & D institutions in the area of food science and technology as well as to industrialists and policy makers

Priced at Rs.100/- in India and US $50.00 abroad (exclusive of packing and forwarding charges), the publication (Royal 8 vo, pp. 375 text, and 64 art plates, full calico bound, 1982) can be purchased from the Director, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore - 570 013, India

NEW UNU CO-PUBLISHED BOOKS AVAILABLE

Diarrhea and Malnutrition (L. Chen and N. S. Scrimshaw, Eds.), Plenum Press, New York, 1983 (see review in Vol. 4, April 1982 issue of the Bulletin, p. 45).

Nutrition Policy Implementation: Issues and Experience (N. S. Scrimshaw and M. B. Wallerstein, Eds.), Plenum Press, New York, 1982 (see p. 79, Vol. 5 (1) of the Bulletin for description).

Iron Deficiency: Brain Biochemistry and Behavior (E. Pollitt and R. Leibel, Eds.), Raven Press, New York, 1982 (see p. 79, Vol. 5 (1) of the Bulletin for description).

Single copies of these books are available without charge to institutions in developing countries, and may be requested by writing to either the United Nations University Tokyo office or to the Cambridge, Massachusetts, editorial office.