Synthesizes a significant amount of data and information on roots and tubers in an effort to provide a clearer vision of their past, present, and future roles in the food systems of developing countries. How the production and use of these commodities have changed and will continue to change over time are all the more important to understand because of the contribution they make to the diets and income-generating activities of the rural and urban poor in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Provides a fuller understanding of the prospects of roots and tubers for food, feed, and other uses in developing countries.

This book provides comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge relating to the morphological, structural, and functional characteristics of tuber starches, particularly in relation to their applications in food and industry. In recent years there has been significant progress and extensive research conducted on tropical root starches and especially on some of the lesser known tuber crop starches. There has also been a shift towards using biomaterials in place of synthetic materials in various applications. As researchers investigate the availability of natural products with similar properties, starch has been identified as a reliable alternative to these synthetic materials. The book is a valuable resource for researchers and students, plant breeders, and commercial producers working with, or considering working with, tropical tuber starches.

This valuable reference will be useful for both scholars and general readers. It is both botanical and cultural, describing the role of plant in social life, regional customs, the arts, natural and covers all aspects of plant cultivation and migration and covers all aspects of plant cultivation and migration. The text includes an explanation of plant names and a list of general references on the history of useful plants.

Innovations in Traditional Foods addresses the most relevant topics of traditional foods while placing emphasis on the introduction of innovations and consumer preferences. Certain food categories, such as fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes, vegetables, mushrooms, roots and tubers, table olives and olive oil, wine, fermented foods and beverages, fish, meat, milk and dairy products are addressed. Intended for food scientists, technologists, engineers and chemists working in food science, product developers, SMEs, researchers, academics and professionals, this book provides a reference supporting technological advances, product development improvements and potential positioning in the traditional food market. - Addresses the most relevant topics of traditional foods while placing emphasis on the introduction of innovations and consumer preferences - Provides a reference supporting technological advances, product development improvements, and potential positioning in the traditional food market - Contains coverage of various food categories, including fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, grains and legumes, vegetables, mushrooms, roots and tubers, table olives and olive oil, wine, fermented foods and beverages, fish, meat, and milk and dairy products

In 1995, TAC commissioned an Inter-Centre Review of Root and Tuber Crops Research in the CGIAR, and that group's final report was submitted in April 1996. Among its findings, the review recommended that the Centers working on these crops prepare, in consultation with non-CGIAR members, "a comprehensive, documented text that sets out a vision for root and tuber research employing inter-Centre collaborations and institutional partnerships ... "(TAC, 1997). At International Centers' Week 1996, representatives of CIAT, CIP, IFPRI, IPGRI, and IITA met, formed an informal committee, and established a task force to prepare such a report, with CIP and CIAT representatives acting as co-convenors. This document synthesizes the principal findings of the subsequent work. Roots and tuber crops have myriad and complex roles to play in feeding the world in the coming decades. Far from being one sort of crop that serves one specific purpose, they will be many things to many-very many-people.