Biotechnology of Major Cereals will focus on the recent advances and future prospects in cereal biotechnology. The first part of the book will cover the world’s major cereals and focus on new developments and trends. The second part will be technology rather than species-led, detailing fundamental developments in technologies and significant target traits.

The application of biotechnology to food processing has been one of the most important and controversial recent developments in the food industry. With this in mind, Cereal Biotechnology analyzes the practice, potential benefits, and risks of using genetic techniques in cereal processing. This major new text provides both plant molecular biologists and those in the cereal processing industries with a comprehensive overview of the subject.

This latest volume surveys opportunities and applications of biotechnology in improvement of cereal production, protection, and end use quantity. It will appeal to a broad readership, from academics to industry. It includes explanations of the technologies involved and discusses their applications. It is the only current volume which covers the full range of applications of biotechnology to cereals, thus providing the best available coverage of the topic in a single volume. The chapters it contains on transformation and end use quality are very topical and likely to attract great interest. Advances in Botanical Research is a multi-volume publication that brings together reviews by recognized experts on subjects of importance to those involved in botanical research. First published in 1963, Advances in Botanical Research has earned a reputation for excellence in the field for more than thirty years. In 1995, Advances in Botanical Research was merged with Advances in Plant Pathology to provide one comprehensive resource for the plant science community, with equal coverage of plant pathology and botany in both thematic and mixed volumes. Now edited by J.A. Callow (University of Birmingham, UK), supported by an international Editorial Board, Advances in Botanical Research publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics which will appeal to post-graduates and researchers in plant sciences including botany, plant biochemistry, plant pathology and plant physiology. Eclectic volumes in the serial are supplemented by thematic volumes on such topics as Plant Protein Kinases, and Plant Trichomes. In 1999, the Institute for Scientific Information released figures showing that Advances in Botanical Research has an Impact Factor of 4.378, placing it 8th in the highly competitive category of Plant Sciences.

"So long as a person is capable of self renewal they are a living being. " -Amiel Cereals have been the source of life to the human race, providing nutritional and ma terial needs since the dawn of civilization. As with all dynamic industries, the Cereal in dustry has renewed itself in the past; as the millennium approaches, it is on the brink of another renewal, in which the versatility and providence of cereals are being rediscovered, but in new and exciting ways. Cereals are richly diverse; over 10,000 varieties convert minerals and the energy of the sun into a bursting catalog of functional and versatile biomolecules and biopolymers. Processing technology allows these components to be accessed, separated, isolated and purified, while chemical science allows modification for even greater diversity and speci ficity. The last century has seen the move from cereal- to oil-based chemical and materials industries. But cereals contain a greater variety and functionality of macromolecules than oil. Starch, protein, bran and straw, already diverse across cereal varieties, can be fraction ated into more specific elements, modified chemically to enhance function, or used as feedstocks in fermentation-based bioconversion systems, to produce a range of bulk and fine chemicals for industries as diverse as food, pharmaceuticals, plastics, textiles, pulp and paper, transport, composites and boards, adhesives and energy.

Genetic modification is one of the most important and controversial issues facing the food industry – nowhere more so than in cereal production and processing. Cereals provide the cornerstone of the world's diet, of which 50% comes from wheat, maize and rice.This major work explains the techniques involved and their enormous potential for food producers and consumers, from cereal breeding to milling, baking and brewing. It also explains how this new technology is regulated, the methods for assessing its potential risks, and the ways that cereal biotechnology can add value, from weed control and disease resistance to improved nutritional properties, processing functionality and product quality in food processing.Much has been written on this significant issue, but until now there has been no guide for both those on the academic side and those working in the industry itself. By examining both sides of the coin, this book bridges the gap between these groups, giving each a greater awareness of the other's role, a more rounded picture of the business and an increased understanding of all the issues at stake.Cereal Biotechnology is an authoritative reference for food processors on a key new technology, an essential guide for biotechnologists on the range of commercial applications within cereals processing, and a vital contribution to the debate for all those concerned with genetic modification in food processing. A comprehensive account of the theory and practice of cereal biotechnology A detailed explanation of product development, specific applications and current regulation An analysis of the potential added value benefit for both producers and consumers