Fundamentals of Dairy Chemistry has always been a reference text which has attempted to provide a complete treatise on the chemistry of milk and the relevant research. The third edition carries on in that format which has proved successful over four previous editions (Fun damentals of Dairy Science 1928, 1935 and Fundamentals of Dairy Chemistry 1965, 1974). Not only is the material brought up-to-date, indeed several chapters have been completely re-written, but attempts have been made to streamline this edition. In view of the plethora of research related to dairy chemistry, authors were asked to reduce the number of references by eliminating the early, less significant ones. In addition, two chapters have been replaced with subjects which we felt deserved attention: "Nutritive Value of Dairy Foods" and "Chemistry of Processing. " Since our society is now more attuned to the quality of the food it consumes and the processes necessary to preserve that quality, the addition of these topics seemed justified. This does not minimize the importance of the information in the deleted chapters, "Vitamins of Milk" and "Frozen Dairy Products. " Some of the mate rial in these previous chapters has been incorporated into the new chapters; furthermore, the information in these chapters is available in the second edition, as a reprint from ADSA (Vitamins in Milk and Milk Products, November 1965) or in the many texts on ice cream manufac ture.

The dairy industry is, in many countries, a major contributor to the manufacturing capacity of the food sector, and as more components of milk are utilised in processed foods, so this importance is likely to grow. Already dairy operations range from the straightforward handling of liquid milk through to the production of highly sophisticated consumer items, and it is of note that all this activity is based on a raw material that is readily perishable at ambient temperatures. This competitive, commercial position, together with the fact that the general public has a high regard for dairy products, is an indication of the extent to which milk producers and processors have combined to ensure that retail prO(;lucts are both nutritious and hygienically acceptable. Achievement of these aims, and at reasonable cost, has depended in large measure on the advances that have been made in the handling of large volumes of milk. Thus, factories designed to handle millions of litres of milk per week are now commonplace, and it is the plant and equipment involved that provides the factual background for this two-volume book.