This is the first book to focus on the scientific principles underlying the fermentation processes of cocoa and coffee beans and their impact on product quality and safety. The text compiles the knowledge from the different disciplines involved in fermentation, including botany, chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, food science, and sensory science. The chapters discuss the botanics of the beans; fermentation methods; the microbiology of fermentation; the biochemistry and physiology of fermentation; the impacts of fermentation on bean flavor, quality, and safety; chocolate and coffee derived from the beans; and the processing of waste materials.

In developing countries, traditional fermentation serves many purposes. It can improve the taste of an otherwise bland food, enhance the digestibility of a food that is difficult to assimilate, preserve food from degradation by noxious organisms, and increase nutritional value through the synthesis of essential amino acids and vitamins. Although "fermented food" has a vaguely distasteful ring, bread, wine, cheese, and yogurt are all familiar fermented foods. Less familiar are gari, ogi, idli, ugba, and other relatively unstudied but important foods in some African and Asian countries. This book reports on current research to improve the safety and nutrition of these foods through an elucidation of the microorganisms and mechanisms involved in their production. Also included are recommendations for needed research.

This book gives a current overview on the development, origin, structure, and functions of germline and somatic cell syncytia during embryogenesis and organogenesis. It also reviews pathogen-induced syncytia and the role of syncytial cells in cancer development. The book covers the following topics: germline syncytia, evolution, function and structure; syncytia in embryogenesis and development; the role of somatic cell fusion in fungi, specialized somatic tissues, host defense and adaptation; syncytia induced by viruses and parasites; syncytia and circulating hybrid cells in cancer and other pathological conditions; It also discusses how the genomic adaptations of microorganisms to extreme habitats can prompt the evolution of mononuclear and multinucleate/syncytial cells. The book offers a fresh outlook on syncytia's role in various processes: embryogenesis, organogenesis, adaptation, host defense, and development of specialized tissues. It highlights the importance of syncytia under physiological and pathological conditions.

Yeasts play a crucial role in the sensory quality of a wide range of foods. They can also be a major cause of food spoilage. Maximising their benefits whilst minimising their detrimental effects requires a thorough understanding of their complex characteristics and how these can best be manipulated by food processors.Yeasts in food begins by describing the enormous range of yeasts together with methods for detection, identification and analysis. It then discusses spoilage yeasts, methods of control and stress responses to food preservation techniques. Against this background, the bulk of the book looks at the role of yeasts in particular types of food. There are chapters on dairy products, meat, fruit, bread, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, soy products, chocolate and coffee. Each chapter describes the diversity of yeasts associated with each type of food, their beneficial and detrimental effects on food quality, methods of analysis and quality control.With its distinguished editors and international team of over 30 contributors, Yeasts in food is a standard reference for the food industry in maximising the contribution of yeasts to food quality. - Describes the enormous range of yeasts together with methods for detection, identification and analysis - Discusses spoilage yeasts, methods of control and stress responses to food preservation techniques - Examines the beneficial and detrimental effects of yeasts in particular types of food, including dairy products, meat, fruit, bread, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, soy products, chocolate and coffee