Microbiology and Technology of Fermented
Foods
IFT Press Blackwell Publishing 2006
ISBN 13: 978-0-8138-0018-9, 10: 0-8138-0018-8 473 pp, A$330
Wiley Blackwell, Australia
tel: 1800 862 6657, fax: 1800 802 258,
web: www.auwiley.com
Reference
and text books that give a comprehensive, “state of the art” coverage
of the role of microorganisms in the production of fermented foods and beverages
have been very few in the last 10 years. The author has correctly identified
this gap and produced a book to meet this need. The book is aimed at students
who have completed basic courses in microbiology, biotechnology and food microbiology,
and have interests in food science and technology. Researchers and industry
professionals in the field will also find this book very useful.
Essentially, the book describes current knowledge and understanding of how microorganisms contribute to the production of a diversity of fermented foods and beverages. The first three chapters provide an interesting historical development of the field, an overview of current knowledge on the taxonomy, biochemistry, physiology and molecular biology of the relevant species of bacteria, yeasts and fungi, and the fundamentals of starter culture technology. These are very useful and thoughtful chapters that give important background knowledge to the reader. The subsequent nine chapters cover specific commodities in a detailed, systematic approach that generally describes historical and economic background, raw material properties, process outline, the microbial species involved, the biochemistry and genomics of the fermentation, and how microbial activity impacts on the sensory, stability and safety qualities of the final product. Modern, biotechnological innovations such as genetic engineering are also discussed. Specific chapters cover fermentations of dairy products, cheese, meat, vegetables, beer, wine, vinegar and oriental foods. Unfortunately, some interesting and important products have not been included, such as the fermented foods and beverages of India, African and South/Central American countries, and the fermentations associated with cash crops such as cocoa, coffee and vanilla beans.
The book is quite strong in its content and depth of science and the reader is directed to key recent reviews, book chapters or original research papers for additional information. Figures and diagrams are well used throughout the text to illustrate process outlines, biochemical reactions and pathways, genomics and chemical structures. The text is well structured, clearly written, interesting and recent in content, and has numerous author anecdotes that engage the reader. Unfortunately, the style of expression and writing is very verbose, with many non-essential words and sentences that can quickly lead the reader to fatigue and loss of concentration. Adding to this challenge, the author uses many “boxes” that contain more detailed technical explanations or other “sidebar” information, including separate lists of references to the literature. These boxes are scattered throughout the text, often covering one or more pages. Although they contain useful and interesting information, they can be very distracting from the main focus or story, adding to reader frustration and fatigue.
In conclusion, this book is written as a text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate studies in food microbiology. It has a wealth of interesting information that demonstrates the current status of thinking on the microbiology and biotechnology of fermented foods and beverages. Although scientific and technical contents are clearly described, some readers may find the layout of the book and style of writing somewhat distracting and too demanding of effort, concentration and patience.
Professor Graham Fleet. Food Science and Technology, School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052.
Food-borne Microbes: Shaping the Host
Ecosystem
Food-Borne
Microbes: Shaping the Host Ecosystem (ISBN 978-1-55581-405-2) by Lee-Ann
Jaykus, Hua Wang and Larry Schlesinger
from various US universities was released by ASM Press this year.
With contributions from experts in environmental, food, oral, medical, and veterinary microbiology, this book takes an innovative and interdisciplinary approach that sheds new light on microbial communities and their interactions within and between different environments, with particular emphasis on food systems. The book underscores the central role played by food and foodborne microbes in host ecosystem development by connecting complex ecosystems from the environment to the host and linking them to the food carrier.
The book can be ordered from ASM Press at http://estore.asm.org.
Technology of Bottled Water
Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005
ISBN 140512038 X 456pp £129 c. A$323
Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd, PO Box 378 Carlton South Victoria 3053
Tel: (03) 8359 1011, fax: (03) 8359 1120, web: www.blackwellpublishing.com
(on-line bookstore)*
This book covers the main aspects of producing bottled water, with some information on the regulations in various parts of the world. This can be very useful information to bottlers looking to export, and also for bottlers to compare what is happening in their region with what is expected in other parts of the world.
The book covers topics from basic information on water chemistry, microbiology and hydrogeology, all of which provide a good basis for understanding and assessing water, through to filling and packing. The book discusses treatments, filling, cleaning and disinfection, and quality issues including plant hygiene, monitoring and auditing.
With increasing requirements for bottlers to undergo independent audits, the section on auditing gives an excellent understanding of what should be expected and what bottlers should be seeking from an audit.
The section on HACCP is a brief but useful for water bottlers. While this does not aim to be, and should not be expected to be, used as a HACCP manual, it does direct bottlers to the particular points that need to be noted in a HACCP plan specific to a bottled water company.
The technical information is precise and clear. The language used is easy to read and understand. The authors give good descriptions of how individual processes occur. The information provided on each process or treatment would allow bottlers to decide which of these would best suit their needs.
A number of diagrams and pictures are provided throughout the book, to demonstrate the discussion. These are particularly useful, especially the cross-sectional diagrams that shown the internal operations of coolers, equipment and filters. The pictures given of equipment are useful in clarifying the discussion points.
Overall this text would be a very useful resource for a bottled water manufacturer.
Melanie McPherson, ML McPherson’s Consulting, Sydney.
