Fungi and Food Spoilage

In contrast to the second edition, the third edition of ‘‘Fungi and Food Spoilage’’ is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The second edition was intended to cover almost all of the species likely to be encountered in mainstream food supplies, and only a few additional species have been included in this new edition. The third edition represents primarily an updating – of taxonomy, physiology, mycotoxin production and ecology. Changes in taxonomy reflect the impact that molecular methods have had on our understanding of classification but, it must be said, have not radically altered the overall picture. The improvements in the understanding of the physiology of food spoilage fungi have been relatively small, reflecting perhaps the lack of emphasis on physiology in modern mic- biological science. Much remains to be understood about the specificity of particular fungi for particular substrates, of the influence of water activity on the growth of many of the species treated, and even on such basic parameters as cardinal temperatures for growth and the influence of pH and preservatives. Since 1997, a great deal has been learnt about the specificity of mycotoxin production and in which commodities and products-specific mycotoxins are likely to occur. Changes in our understanding of the ecology of the included species are also in most cases evolutionary. A great number of papers have been published on the ecology of foodborne fungi in the past few years, but with few exceptions the basic ecology of the included species remains.

The first and second editions of Fungi and Food Spoilage established a reputation as the foremost book on foodborne fungi. This completely revised and updated third edition is an invaluable reference for food microbiologists investigating fungal spoilage and sources of mycotoxin contamination in foods.

The introductory chapters of the book deal with the ecology of food spoilage and give an overview of how food processing, packaging and storage affect fungal growth. Subsequent chapters cover the fundamentals of classifying and naming fungi and current methods for isolation and enumeration, including general and special purpose media, incubation conditions, etc. The major part of the book provides keys, descriptions and illustrations of all yeasts and moulds commonly encountered in foods. Characteristics of the species, including their ecology and potential for mycotoxin production, are also included.

The broad and practical nature of the coverage will appeal to microbiologists, mycologists and biotechnologists in the food industry, academic, research and public health institutions.

Dr John Pitt and Dr Ailsa Hocking are both Honorary Research Fellows at CSIRO Food Science Australia, North Ryde, NSW, Australia.

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