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Books in Agricultural and biological sciences

The Agricultural and Biological Sciences collection advances science-based knowledge for the improvement of animal and plant life and for secure food systems that produce nutritious, novel, sustainable foods with minimal environmental impact. Food Science titles include not only those products from agriculture but all other aspects from food production to nutrition, health and safety, chemistry to security, policy, law and regulation. Biological Sciences address animal behaviour and biodiversity, organismal and evolutionary biology, entomology, marine biology and aquaculture, plant science and forestry.

  • Soil and Environmental Chemistry

    • 2nd Edition
    • William F. Bleam
    • English
    Soil and Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition, presents key aspects of soil chemistry in environmental science, including dose responses, risk characterization, and practical applications of calculations using spreadsheets. The book offers a holistic, practical approach to the application of environmental chemistry to soil science and is designed to equip the reader with the chemistry knowledge and problem-solving skills necessary to validate and interpret data. This updated edition features significantly revised chapters, averaging almost a 50% revision overall, including some reordering of chapters. All new problem sets and solutions are found at the end of each chapter, and linked to a companion site that reflects advances in the field, including expanded coverage of such topics as sample collection, soil moisture, soil carbon cycle models, water chemistry simulation, alkalinity, and redox reactions. There is also additional pedagogy, including key term and real-world scenarios. This book is a must-have reference for researchers and practitioners in environmental and soil sciences, as well as intermediate and advanced students in soil science and/or environmental chemistry.
  • Early Nutrition and Long-Term Health

    Mechanisms, Consequences, and Opportunities
    • 1st Edition
    • Jose M Saavedra + 1 more
    • English
    The nutrition of an individual during gestation and the first two years of life—the first 1,000 days—sets the stage for lifelong health. Nutrition quality and quantity in this period can influence the risk of developing diseases that constitute today’s epidemics. Early-life nutrition can program the body’s tissues, organ structure and function, and metabolic and immunologic responses. These factors impact growth, development and cognition, and the risk of cardiovascular diseases, allergies and obesity. The first part of Early Nutrition and Long-Term Health examines the mechanisms by which early nutrition affects the risk of developing these conditions. The second part of this book reviews specific non-communicable diseases (NCDs) associated with early nutrition. The third part discusses the effects of nutritional programming from fetal life to toddlerhood. Prevention of over- or undernutrition in early life, rather than dietary, behavioral or therapeutic interventions in later life, is likely to have a greater return on society’s investment in coping with the modern epidemic of NCDs.
  • Food for the Aging Population

    • 2nd Edition
    • Monique Raats + 1 more
    • English
    Food for the Aging Population, Second Edition, is a unique volume that reviews the characteristics of the aging population as food consumers, the role of nutrition in healthy aging, and the design of food products and services for the elderly. The first section of the book discusses the older population as consumers of food and beverages, while the second section covers the extension of functionality into later life. The final section highlights tactics on how to develop food products and services for older people. Fully updated and revised from the first edition, the book covers advances in various fields, introducing a number of new chapters, including, amongst others, topics on the economic determinants of diet in older adults, public policy and older people’s diets, and interventions to support healthy eating in later life.
  • Food Safety and Quality Systems in Developing Countries

    Volume II: Case Studies of Effective Implementation
    • 1st Edition
    • André Gordon
    • English
    Food Safety and Quality Systems in Developing Countries, Volume 2: Case Studies of Effective Implementation begins with a general overview of some of the issues and considerations that impact effective implementation of food safety and quality systems and put this in the context of some of the more noteworthy foodborne illness incidents in the recent past.This book is a rich source of information about the practical application of food science and technology to solving food safety and quality problems in the food industry. Students, researchers, professionals, regulators and market access practitioners will find this book an irreplaceable addition to their arsenal as they deal with issues regarding food safety and quality for the products with which they are working.
  • Coral Reef Marine Plants of Hainan Island

    • 1st Edition
    • Antoninovich Eduard Titlyanov + 3 more
    • English
    Coral Reef Marine Plants of Hainan Island summarizes the literature on the role and use of marine plants in coral reef ecosystems, especially in China and countries in the Asia-Pacific Region. The first chapter of the book focuses on the description of coral reef ecosystems, their architecture, and status of Hainan coral reefs. The second chapter focuses on common knowledge surrounding marine plants, such as their classification, identifying characteristics of different phyla, morphology, reproduction, life forms, main algal communities on coral reefs, distribution of algae on coral reefs and their roles, and the use of seaweeds in cookery, medicine, industry, and agriculture. The third chapter on the seaweed flora of Hainan Island contains species composition of the marine benthic flora, the complete list of marine plants found by researchers from all studies, and historical changes in the flora and seasonal changes. The final chapter shows how to identify common species of marine plants on coral reefs of Hainan Island. This excellent work will help readers identify relevant plants, also teaching them how to use plant resources to assess endangered states and create conservation strategies.
  • The Microbiota in Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology

    Implications for Human Health, Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Dysbiosis
    • 1st Edition
    • Martin H. Floch + 2 more
    • English
    The Microbiota in Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology: Implications for Human Health, Prebiotics, Probiotics and Dysbiosis is a one-stop reference on the state-of-the-art research on gut microbial ecology in relation to human disease. This important resource starts with an overview of the normal microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach, Ileum, and colon. The book then identifies what a healthy vs. unhealthy microbial community looks like, including methods of identification. Also included is insight into which features and contributions the microbiota make that are essential and useful to host physiology, as is information on how to promote appropriate mutualisms and prevent undesirable dysbioses. Through the power of synthesizing what is known by experienced researchers in the field, current gaps are closed, raising understanding of the role of the microbiome and allowing for further research.
  • The Microbiological Quality of Food

    Foodborne Spoilers
    • 1st Edition
    • Antonio Bevilacqua + 2 more
    • English
    The Microbiological Quality of Food: Foodborne Spoilers specifically addresses the role of spoilers in food technology and how they affect the quality of food. Food spoilers represent a great challenge in food quality, determining the shelf-life of many products as they impact consumer acceptability of taste, texture, aroma, and other perceptions. Divided into four sections, the first section defines microbial spoilage of food, with special emphasis on methods for the evaluation of spoiling phenomena and the status of their regulatory framework, examining both existing regulations and possible gaps. The second section examines spoiling microorganisms, covering a range of common spoilage microorganisms, including pseudomonas, yeasts, and molds and spore formers, as well as less-common spoilers, including lactic acid bacteria and specific spoilage organisms in fish. The third section highlights spoiling phenomena within certain food types. Chapters cover dairy, fish, meat, and vegetables, and other products. The final section investigates emerging topics which point to future trends in the research of food spoilers. There is insight into microorganisms resistant to preservation, the role of biofilms in food quality, and the link between food safety and food spoilage, with a special emphasis on certain spoiling microorganisms which could be opportunistic pathogens. Written by an international team of leading authors, this book provides state-of-the-art coverage of this topic, which is essential to the shelf-life and quality of food.
  • Non-Equilibrium States and Glass Transitions in Foods

    Processing Effects and Product-Specific Implications
    • 1st Edition
    • Bhesh Bhandari + 1 more
    • English
    Non-equilibrium States and Glass Transitions in Foods: Processing Effects and Product Specific Implications presents the tactics needed to understand and control non-equilibrium states and glass transitions in food, an essential element in maintaining the shelf-life and quality of foods. After brief introductory chapters introduce the science behind non-equilibrium states and glass transitions in foods, the book details how glass transition temperature is affected by composition and the ways it influences processability and physico-chemical changes during the storage of foods, also exploring how these effects can be controlled. The second section looks at individual foods, highlighting the implications of non-equilibrium states and glass transitions within these foods. Maintaining and improving the quality of food is of upmost importance to food companies who have to ensure that the shelf life of their products is as long as possible. A large amount of research has been performed into glass transitions in food over the last few years, however there has not been a comprehensive review. This book fills that gap.
  • Soil Magnetism

    Applications in Pedology, Environmental Science and Agriculture
    • 1st Edition
    • Neli Jordanova
    • English
    Soil Magnetism: Applications in Pedology, Environmental Science and Agriculture provides a systematic, comparative, and detailed overview of the magnetic characterization of the major soil units and the observed general relationships, possibilities, and perspectives in application of rock magnetic methods in soil science, agriculture, and beyond. Part I covers detailed magnetic and geochemical characterization of major soil types according to the FAO classification system, with Part II covering the mapping of topsoil magnetic signatures on the basis of soil magnetic characteristics. The book concludes with practical examples on the application of magnetic methods in environmental science, agriculture, soil pollution, and paleoclimate.
  • Sensory and Instrumental Evaluation of Alcoholic Beverages

    • 1st Edition
    • Hildegarde Heymann + 1 more
    • English
    Sensory and Instrumental Evaluation of Alcoholic Beverages introduces the value of sensory analysis to the alcoholic beverage industry through the detailed lens of sensory analysis techniques. From traditional methods, to the most modern rapid methods, this book presents comprehensive insights and applications. Analytical methods for identifying and assessing the flavor compounds present in the beverages are included that address both volatile and non-volatile techniques, along with rapid methods of assessment. Case studies highlight the testing of different types of alcoholic beverages running the entire gamut of methods and the appropriate subset of methods. Also included is information of data analyses with the appropriate R-codes to allow practitioners to use the book as a handbook to analyze their own data.