Modern Methods of Plant Analysis When the handbook Modern Methods of Plant Analysis was first introduced in 1954 the considerations were: 1. the dependence of scientific progress in biology on the improvement of ex isting and the introduction of new methods; 2. the difficulty in finding many new analytical methods in specialized jour nals which are normally not accessible to experimental plant biologists; 3. the fact that in the methods sections of papers the description of methods is frequently so compact, or even sometimes so incomplete that it is dif ficult to reproduce experiments. These considerations still stand today. The series was highly successful, seven volumes appearing between 1956 and 1964. Since there is still today a demand for the old series, the publisher has decided to resume publication of Modern Methods of Plant Analysis. It is hoped that the New Series will be just as acceptable to those working in plant sciences and related fields as the early volumes undoubtedly were. It is difficult to single out the major reasons for success of any publication, but we believe that the methods published in the first series were up-to-date at the time and presented in a way that made description, as applied to plant material, com plete in itself with little need to consult other publications. Contribution authors have attempted to follow these guidelines in this New Series of volumes.

Edible insects have always been a part of human diets, but in some societies there remains a degree of disdain and disgust for their consumption. Although the majority of consumed insects are gathered in forest habitats, mass-rearing systems are being developed in many countries. Insects offer a significant opportunity to merge traditional knowledge and modern science to improve human food security worldwide. This publication describes the contribution of insects to food security and examines future prospects for raising insects at a commercial scale to improve food and feed production, diversify diets, and support livelihoods in both developing and developed countries. It shows the many traditional and potential new uses of insects for direct human consumption and the opportunities for and constraints to farming them for food and feed. It examines the body of research on issues such as insect nutrition and food safety, the use of insects as animal feed, and the processing and preservation of insects and their products. It highlights the need to develop a regulatory framework to govern the use of insects for food security. And it presents case studies and examples from around the world. Edible insects are a promising alternative to the conventional production of meat, either for direct human consumption or for indirect use as feedstock. To fully realise this potential, much work needs to be done by a wide range of stakeholders. This publication will boost awareness of the many valuable roles that insects play in sustaining nature and human life, and it will stimulate debate on the expansion of the use of insects as food and feed.

Abstract: Advances in the techniques and methodologies for the evaluation of protein quality are presented for agricultural researchers. An overall view of the strengths and weaknesses of the various evaluation methods is provided along with in-depth descriptions of several new and established techniques. The discussions cover the protein requirements of humans and their relevance to protein quality evaluation, the analytical methods for determining the amino acids profiles of particular foods, chemical and microbiological assays of protein quality, use of animal experimentation and clinical methods, and choice of procedure. The specific methodologies described include the Kjeldahl procedure for total nitrogen determination, sulphur amino acid analysis by performic acid pre-oxidation, the four-enzyme in vitro assay for protein digestibility, and procedures for the determination of net protein utilization and relative protein value in rats.