Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences was first conceived, published, and disseminated by the Center for Information and Numerical Data Analysis and Synthesis (CINDAS) * at Purdue University in 1 957, starting its coverage of theses with the academic year 1955. Beginning with Volume 13, the printing and dissemination phases of the activity were transferred to University Microfilms/Xerox of Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the thought that such an arrangement would be more beneficial to the academic and general scientific and technical community. After five years of this joint undertaking we had concluded that it was in the interest of all con cerned if the printing and distribution of the volumes were handled by an interna tional publishing house to assure improved service and broader dissemination. Hence, starting with Volume 18, Masters Theses in the Pure and Applied Sciences has been disseminated on a worldwide basis by Plenum Publishing Cor poration of New York, and in the same year the coverage was broadened to include Canadian universities. All back issues can also be ordered from Plenum. We have reported in Volume 28 (thesis year 1 983) a total of 10,661 theses titles from 26 Canadian and 197 United States universities. We are sure that this broader base for these titles reported will greatly enhance the value of this important annual reference work. While Volume 28 reports theses submitted in-1983, on occasion, certain univer sities do report theses submitted in previous years but not reported at the time.

Did you know? It's estimated that fermentation practices have been around since as early as 6000 BC, when wine was first being made in Caucasus and Mesopotamia. Today, there are roughly 5000 varieties of fermented foods and beverages prepared and consumed worldwide, which accounts for between five and forty percent of daily meals. Fermented Foods a

Fermented food play an important proactive role in the human diet. In many developing and under developed countries, fermented food is a cheap source of nutrition. Currently, more than 3500 different fermented foods are consumed by humans throughout the world; many are indigenous and produced in small quantities, however, the consumption of many fermented foods has gradually increased. Fermented Food Products presents in-depth insights into various microbes involved in the production of fermented foods throughout the world. It also focuses on recent developments in the fermented food microbiology field along with biochemical changes that are happening during the fermentation process. • Describes various fermented food products, especially indigenous products • Presents health benefits of fermented food products • Explains mechans involved in the production of fermented foods • Discusses molecular tools and its applications and therapeutic uses of fermented foods The book provides a comprehensive account about diversified ethnic fermented food products. Readers will get updated information regarding various types of fermented food products and will learn the effect these fermented food products have on human health.

The dynamics of growth, survival and biochemical activity of microorganisms in the food matrix are the result of stress reactions in response to the changes in the physical and chemical conditions in the food microenvironment. The microorganisms colonize the food matrix and grow into spatial heterogeneity with in situ cell-to-cell ecological interactions, which often happen during food processing and preservation. Ecological approaches to studying the evolution of microbial flora would be beneficial and recommended for better comprehending the microbiological processes involved in food processing, ripening, and preservation, improving microbiological safety, and evaluating the effective compositions of the microbial populations in developing the food quality including appearance, flavor, and nutrients. This topic addresses the mechanisms of microorganisms on the formation and development of the food matrix's appearance, flavor, and nutrients, as well as strategies for preventing and reducing microorganism contamination throughout the processing and preservation of the food matrix. Thus, we are concerning several key problems: How can we understand microorganism roles in improving food safety or removal of toxic compounds? What are the key factors that affect the growth and metabolism of microorganisms during the processing and preservation? What are the mechanisms for inducing the changes in nutritional value and organoleptic quality of the food matrix by microorganisms?

Biogenic amines are bioactive compounds distributed in foods of all origins. Apart from their fundamental role in many bodily functions, there has recently been great interest in their toxicological potential, much research is being carried out to understand their occurrence related to both desired and undesired fermentative phenomena, chemical spoilage, low hygienic conditions, wrong handling, and criticism about technological factors of process and storage conditions. All these causes can contribute to a higher content of biogenic amines in food, particularly of those hazardous to human health. This book aims to collect scientific studies looking for new tools to limit the over-production of biogenic amines in food, search for new food sources of biogenic amines, and to spotlight the concept of safe food and bioactive amines content.

Indigenous Fermented Foods for the Tropics provides insights on fermented foods of the Tropics, particularly Africa, Asia and South America, highlighting key aspects and potential developments for these food products. Sections provide an overview on the production and composition (nutritional, physicochemical, health beneficial and microbiota) of these indigenous fermented foods in the tropics, innovative techniques for investigating the composition of these fermented food products and improvement of the fermentation process to yield better nutritional constituents, health beneficial components and sensory qualities, and safety aspects to be considered in fermented foods. Other sections provide insights into the packaging and marketing of these food products as well as future prospects of fermented foods in the tropics. This book provides new perspectives and recent information to complement existing texts on indigenous fermented foods serving as a valuable reference text for detailed insights into indigenous fermented foods of the tropics. - Discusses fermented foods from the Africa, Asia, and South America based on the raw materials used - Offers innovative techniques for improving these indigenous products and investigating their composition as well as upgrading traditional technologies used in the production of fermented products - Covers the role of technology and innovations in the quest for enhancing quality, and safety of fermented foods as demand for fermented food and beverage products is increased

Biogenic amines have been known for some time. These compounds are found in varying concentrations in a wide range of foods (fish, cheese, meat, wine, beer, vegetables, etc.) and their formations are influenced by different factors associated to those foods (composition, additives, ingredients, storage, microorganism, packaging, handing, conservation, etc.). The intake of foods containing high concentrations of biogenic amines can present a health hazard. Additionally, they have been used to establish indexes in various foods in order to signal the degree of freshness and/or deterioration of food. Nowadays, there has been an increase in the number of food poisoning episodes in consumers associated with the presence of these biogenic amines, mainly associated with histamines. Food safety is one of the main concerns of the consumer and safety agencies of different countries (EFSA, FDA, FSCJ, etc.), which have, as one of their main objectives, to control these biogenic amines, principally histamine, to assure a high level of food safety. Therefore, it is necessary to deepen our understanding of the formation, monitoring and reduction of biogenic amines during the development, processing and storage of food, even the effect of biogenic amines in consumers after digestion of foods with different levels of these compounds. With this aim, we are preparing a Special Issue on the topic of "Biogenic Amines in Food Safety", and we invite researchers to contribute original and unpublished research articles and reviews articles that involve studies of biogenic amines in food, which can provide an update to our knowledge of these compounds and their impacts on food quality and food safety.

Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Food and Beverages Industry provides extensive coverage of new developments, state-of-the-art technologies, and potential future trends compiled from the latest ideas across the entire arena of biotechnology and bioengineering. This volume reviews current developments in the application of food biotechnology and engineering for food and beverage production. As there have been significant advances in the areas of food fermentation, processing, and beverage production, this title highlights the advances in specific transformation processes, including those used for alcoholic beverage and fermented food production. Taking a food process and engineering point-of-view, the book also aims to select important bioengineering principles, highlighting how they can be quantitatively applied in the food and beverages industry. - Contains comprehensive coverage of food and beverage production - Covers all types of fermentation processes and their application in various food products - Includes unique coverage of the biochemical processes involved in beverages production