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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.

  • Sensory Evaluation Practices

    • 4th Edition
    • Herbert Stone + 2 more
    • English
    Understanding what the consumer wants and will accept are two of the most significant hurdles faced by anyone in new product development. Whether the concern is the proper mouth-feel of a potato chip, the sense of freshness" evoked by a chewing gum, or the weight and texture of a cosmetic, if the consumer doesn't find the product acceptable, it won't sell. Sensory evaluation testing is the process that establishes the consumer acceptability of a product. It can help identify issues before general production is begun and potentially bring to light issues that hadn't previously been considered a factor in the success of the project.
  • TOF-MS within Food and Environmental Analysis

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 58
    • Amadeo Rodriguez Fernandez-Alba
    • English
    New developments in mass spectrometry have allowed routine identification and lowered limits of detection at levels only imagined a decade ago. Thousands of contaminants and residues in the food supply and the environment are now being reported. Between 2005 and 2010, more than 5,000 publications covering TOF-MS and environmental and food analysis were published, showing the importance of the technique in these applications. This book covers the basic principles of method development in GC- and LC-TOF-MS as well as the main operational parameters related to TOF-MS. The second part focuses on the relevant environmental applications, including quality control aspects as well as data collection. The third part is devoted to relevant applications in food analysis, including validation procedures for screening analysis as well as relevant databases.
  • Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers

    A Color Handbook
    • 2nd Edition
    • David V. Alford
    • English
    Ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers have always been extremely popular and in large demand. Whether in gardens or parks, common usage of alpines, bedding plants, cacti, cut flowers, house plants and pot plants, as well as herbaceous plants, ornamental grasses, shrubs and trees makes a definitive volume on their pests of essential value to entomologists and plant scientists. The fully revised and updated second edition of Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers follows up the successful previous edition with coverage of many new pests and highly detailed color photographs. The book opens with a review of the main features of insects, mites and other major pest groups. Each major order and family of pests is considered in turn, with details of their status, host range, world distribution, diagnostic features and biology. Descriptions of the characteristic damage caused are also given.
  • Plant Tissue Culture

    Techniques and Experiments
    • 3rd Edition
    • Roberta H. Smith
    • English
    Plant Tissue Culture, Third Edition builds on the classroom tested, audience proven manual that has guided users through successful plant culturing A.tumefaciens mediated transformation, infusion technology, the latest information on media components and preparation, and regeneration and morphogenesis along with new exercises and diagrams provide current information and examples. The included experiments demonstrate major concepts and can be conducted with a variety of plant material that are readily available throughout the year. This book provides a diverse learning experience and is appropriate for both university students and plant scientists.
  • Chemical Analysis of Food: Techniques and Applications

    • 1st Edition
    • Yolanda Pico
    • English
    Chemical Analysis of Food: Techniques and Applications reviews new technology and challenges in food analysis from multiple perspectives: a review of novel technologies being used in food analysis, an in-depth analysis of several specific approaches, and an examination of the most innovative applications and future trends. This book won a 2012 PROSE Award Honorable Mention in Chemistry and Physics from the Association of American Publishers. The book is structured in two parts: the first describes the role of the latest developments in analytical and bio-analytical techniques and the second reviews the most innovative applications and issues in food analysis. Each chapter is written by experts on the subject and is extensively referenced in order to serve as an effective resource for more detailed information. The techniques discussed range from the non-invasive and non-destructive, such as infrared spectroscopy and ultrasound, to emerging areas such as nanotechnology, biosensors and electronic noses and tongues. Important tools for problem-solving in chemical and biological analysis are discussed in detail.
  • Modern Computational Approaches to Traditional Chinese Medicine

    • 1st Edition
    • Zhaohui Wu + 2 more
    • English
    Recognized as an essential component of Chinese culture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is both an ancient medical system and one still used widely in China today. TCM’s independently evolved knowledge system is expressed mainly in the Chinese language and the information is frequently only available through ancient classics and confidential family records, making it difficult to utilize. The major concern in TCM is how to consolidate and integrate the data, enabling efficient retrieval and discovery of novel knowledge from the dispersed data. Computational approaches such as data mining, semantic reasoning and computational intelligence have emerged as innovative approaches for the reservation and utilization of this knowledge system. Typically, this requires an inter-disciplinary approach involving Chinese culture, computer science, modern healthcare and life sciences. This book examines the computerization of TCM information and knowledge to provide intelligent resources and supporting evidences for clinical decision-making, drug discovery, and education. Recent research results from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Informatics Group of Zhejiang University are presented, gathering in one resource systematic approaches for massive data processing in TCM. These include the utilization of modern Semantic Web and data mining methods for more advanced data integration, data analysis and integrative knowledge discovery. This book will appeal to medical professionals, life sciences students, computer scientists, and those interested in integrative, complementary, and alternative medicine.
  • Recent Trends in Medicinal Plants Research

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 62
    • English
    Plants and other living organisms have great potential to treat human disease. There are two distinct types of biomedical research that seek to develop this potential. One type of research explores the value of medicinal plants as traditionally used and studies of these plants have the potential to determine which plants are most potent, optimize dosages and dose forms, and identify safety risks. Another type of research uses bioassays to identify single molecules from plants that have interesting bioactivities in isolation and might be useful lead compounds for the development of pharmaceutical drugs. This new volume of Advances in Botanical Research covers the recent trends in Medicinal Plants Research over 11 chapters. Topics that are covered include Development of Drugs from Plants – Regulation and Evaluation, Chinese Herbal Medicines for Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Taxol, camptothecin and beyond for cancer therapy.
  • Advances in Sponge Science: Physiology, Chemical and Microbial Diversity, Biotechnology

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 62
    • English
    One of two special issues of Advances in Marine Biology focusing on sponge science, it features comprehensive reviews of the latest studies that are advancing our understanding of the fascinating marine phylum Porifera. The selected contributors are internationally renowned researchers in their respective fields and provide a thorough overview of the state-of-the-art of sponge science.
  • Microbial Decontamination in the Food Industry

    Novel Methods and Applications
    • 1st Edition
    • Ali Demirci + 1 more
    • English
    The problem of creating microbiologically-sa... food with an acceptable shelf-life and quality for the consumer is a constant challenge for the food industry. Microbial decontamination in the food industry provides a comprehensive guide to the decontamination problems faced by the industry, and the current and emerging methods being used to solve them.Part one deals with various food commodities such as fresh produce, meats, seafood, nuts, juices and dairy products, and provides background on contamination routes and outbreaks as well as proposed processing methods for each commodity. Part two goes on to review current and emerging non-chemical and non-thermal decontamination methods such as high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, irradiation, power ultrasound and non-thermal plasma. Thermal methods such as microwave, radio-frequency and infrared heating and food surface pasteurization are also explored in detail. Chemical decontamination methods with ozone, chlorine dioxide, electrolyzed oxidizing water, organic acids and dense phase CO2 are discussed in part three. Finally, part four focuses on current and emerging packaging technologies and post-packaging decontamination.With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Microbial decontamination in the food industry is an indispensable guide for all food industry professionals involved in the design or use of novel food decontamination techniques, as well as any academics researching or teaching this important subject.
  • Lignins

    Biosynthesis, Biodegradation and Bioengineering
    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 61
    • English
    Lignins are nature’s aromatic polymers and are the second most abundant organic constituent of the biosphere next to cellulose. Lignification mainly occurs in the walls of terrestrial vascular plants, mainly in the secondarily thickened cells of supportive or conductive tissues, which thus acquire novel properties. This new volume of Advances in Botanical Research gives a special emphasis to the bioengineering of these enigmatic polymers. It is divided in nine chapters containing up-to-date reviews by expert groups in their field.