Water Relations of Foods consists of proceedings of an international symposium on "Water Relations of Foods held in Glasgow, in September 1974. Organized into seven sections, the book presents the various papers delivered in the symposium. It describes the physical chemistry of water in simple systems as well as in the more complex food component systems (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins), with emphasis on the nature of the intermolecular forces involved. It also reports the various techniques used to measure the state of water in food and in model systems made up of food components. Furthermore, the book discusses water activity and the growth of food spoilage and pathogenic organism; water relations of enzymic and non-enzymic deteriorative reactions in food; effects of freezing and thawing of water in food systems; and the significant aspects of food quality as affected by water in the system. Lastly, the modification of the state of water in foods is addressed. This publication will indeed help advance the understanding on this field of interest.

This second edition of Water Activity in Foods furnishes those working within food manufacturing, quality control, and safety with a newly revised guide to water activity and its role in the preservation and processing of food items. With clear, instructional prose and illustrations, the book’s international team of contributors break down the essential principles of water activity and water–food interactions, delineating water’s crucial impact upon attributes such as flavor, appearance, texture, and shelf life. The updated and expanded second edition continues to offer an authoritative overview of the subject, while also broadening its scope to include six newly written chapters covering the latest developments in water activity research. Exploring topics ranging from deliquescence to crispness, these insightful new inclusions complement existing content that has been refreshed and reconfigured to support the food industry of today.

This book was developed from the papers presented at a symposium on "Water Relationships in Foods," which was held from April 10-14, 1989 at the 197th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Dallas, Texas, under the auspices of the Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division of ACS. The editors of this book organized the symposium to bring tagether an es teemed group of internationally respected experts, currently active in the field of water relationships in foods, to discuss recent advances in the 1980's and future trends for the 1990's. It was the hope of all these con tributors that this ACS symposium would become a memorable keystone above the foundation underlying the field of "water in foods. " This strong foundation has been constructed in large part from earlier technical conferences and books such as the four milestone International Symposia on the Properties of Water (ISOPOW I-IV), the recent IFT BasicSymposium on "Water Activity" and Penang meeting on Food Preservation by Maisture Control, as well as the key fundamental contributions from the classic 1980 ACS Symposium Series #127 on Water in Polymers, and from Felix Franks' famous seven-volume Comprehensive Treatise on Water plus five subsequent volumes of the ongoing Water Science Reviews. The objective of the 1989 ACS symposiumwas to build on this foun dation by emphasizing the most recent and maj or advanc.

Water Activity and Food explores the role of water activity in the water relations of microorganisms and in food processing, packaging, and storage. It reviews the literature and provides numerous examples demonstrating the use of water activity to predict the reactions of microorganisms or the stability of food components. It also highlights cases where water activity is not a reliable predictor of events and considers some interesting interactions with other environmental parameters. Comprised of 11 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of water in foods and solutions, water activity values for foods, and water relations of enzyme activity. It then discusses lipid oxidation, enzyme reactions and non-enzymatic browning, and several other food-related factors. The reader is also introduced to water relations of microbial growth; the effects of water on microbial survival; the spoilage and preservation of foods at various levels of water activity; the water relations of food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella and toxigenic molds; the importance of water activity in non-microbiological aspects of food processing and storage; and the influence of atmospheric relative humidity on sanitation and the protection of food products. This book is an important source of information for researchers in food microbiology and microbial water relations.

Principles of Soil and Plant Water Relations, 2e describes the principles of water relations within soils, followed by the uptake of water and its subsequent movement throughout and from the plant body. This is presented as a progressive series of physical and biological interrelations, even though each topic is treated in detail on its own. The book also describes equipment used to measure water in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. At the end of each chapter is a biography of a scientist whose principles are discussed in the chapter. In addition to new information on the concept of celestial time, this new edition also includes new chapters on methods to determine sap flow in plants dual-probe heat-pulse technique to monitor water in the root zone. - Provides the necessary understanding to address advancing problems in water availability for meeting ecological requirements at local, regional and global scales - Covers plant anatomy: an essential component to understanding soil and plant water relations

Water is recognized as being an important factor in numerous pheno mena connected with the quality of food. For instance, it plays a part in the textural properties of several commodities. Moreover, water is an essential parameter determining the behaviour of food products in the course of many processing operations : on water, will depend the amount of energy necessary for freezing or dehydrating the product; water will strongly influence the evolution of physical, chemical and biochemical phenomena taking place in the product during processing operations such as heating, drying, etc. Water will also influence the same reactions, as well as the activity of microorganisms, during the storage of food products under various conditions. As a result, all aspects of quality - sensory, nutritional and hygienic properties of the food - will be affected. In all these circumstances, the water content of a product is obviously an important factor, but equally important may be the physical properties of this water, such as its thermodynamic activity and its mobility. Actual ly, the concept of water activity (a ) is now widely used by the food industry and in the legislation of sever')¥l countries. The idea of a small, international meeting devoted to a synthetic review and discussion of knowledge on these various matters, was first developed by Dr. R. B.

Water Relations of Plants and Soils, successor to the seminal 1983 book by Paul Kramer, covers the entire field of water relations using current concepts and consistent terminology. Emphasis is on the interdependence of processes, including rate of water absorption, rate of transpiration, resistance to water flow into roots, soil factors affecting water availability. New trends in the field, such as the consideration of roots (rather than leaves) as the primary sensors of water stress, are examined in detail. Addresses the role of water in the whole range of plant activities Describes molecular mechanisms of water action in the context of whole plants Synthesizes recent scientific findings Relates current concepts to agriculture and ecology Provides a summary of methods

Water Activity in Foods: Fundamentals and Applications is a one-of-a-kind reference text that brings together an international group of food scientists, chemists, and engineers to present a broad but thorough coverage of an important factor known to influence the attributes of foods – water activity. A team of experienced editors designed this book for lasting value as a sound introduction to the concept of water activity for neophytes and seasoned professionals in both academe and industry. Topics have been carefully selected to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which water activity influences the quality, shelf life, and safety of food products. Water Activity in Foods belongs on the shelves of all food science professionals for use in product development, quality control, and food safety. Students and newcomers to these areas will appreciate the instructional approach adopted by the experienced teachers and industry specialists who have contributed chapters to this comprehensive overview.

Introduction to the Chemistry of Food describes the molecular composition of food and the chemistry of its components. It provides students with an understanding of chemical and biochemical reactions that impact food quality and contribute to wellness. This innovative approach enables students in food science, nutrition and culinology to better understand the role of chemistry in food. Specifically, the text provides background in food composition, demonstrates how chemistry impacts quality, and highlights its role in creating novel foods. Each chapter contains a review section with suggested learning activities. Text and supplemental materials can be used in traditional face-to-face, distance, or blended learning formats. - Describes the major and minor components of food - Explains the functional properties contributed by proteins, carbohydrates and lipids in food - Explores the chemical and enzymatic reactions affecting food attributes (color, flavor and nutritional quality) - Describes the gut microbiome and influence of food components on its microbial population - Reviews major food systems and novel sources of food protein

In contrast to the second edition, the third edition of ‘‘Fungi and Food Spoilage’’ is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The second edition was intended to cover almost all of the species likely to be encountered in mainstream food supplies, and only a few additional species have been included in this new edition. The third edition represents primarily an updating – of taxonomy, physiology, mycotoxin production and ecology. Changes in taxonomy reflect the impact that molecular methods have had on our understanding of classification but, it must be said, have not radically altered the overall picture. The improvements in the understanding of the physiology of food spoilage fungi have been relatively small, reflecting perhaps the lack of emphasis on physiology in modern mic- biological science. Much remains to be understood about the specificity of particular fungi for particular substrates, of the influence of water activity on the growth of many of the species treated, and even on such basic parameters as cardinal temperatures for growth and the influence of pH and preservatives. Since 1997, a great deal has been learnt about the specificity of mycotoxin production and in which commodities and products-specific mycotoxins are likely to occur. Changes in our understanding of the ecology of the included species are also in most cases evolutionary. A great number of papers have been published on the ecology of foodborne fungi in the past few years, but with few exceptions the basic ecology of the included species remains.