Wageningen Academic Publishers

Cultivated vegetables of the world; a multilingual onomasticon.

Kays (horticulture, U. of Georgia) has compiled an extraordinary linguistic reference, assembling common names in 370 languages, for 404 commercially cultivated crops. In his introduction he discusses the growing importance of vegetables internationally and the purpose of the book, which is to facilitate precise and accurate communication and a consistency of terminology among workers in all food industries, policy makers, and planners in agriculture, commerce, and regulation. Material is presented in a manner that affords access in a multitude of ways. The first section lists common names of individual crops (by division, family, genus, and species; and alphabetically), indicating the names in each language. Following are listings by scientific names and synonyms, by plant part consumed, and by method of preparation. The final section, on languages, includes a synopsis of each language (e.g. number of speakers, geographical location where spoken), and listings of language name synonyms and dialects. The volume is distributed in the US by Enfield. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Fibre production in South America camelids and other fibre animals.

This collection of studies was gathered from a symposium held in Germany to exchange scientific information on the textile production of animal fibers from South American Camelids. Discussions include genetic variability of fleece and the crossbreeding of herds, the difference in texture between various coats, comparing economical values of fleece weights, feeding and caring of the animals, and manufacturing management. The importance of this industry on the economy is covered from the large number of families and merchandisers involved in raising the livestock to the end marketing segment. The intended audience is comprised of scientists, scholars, students, policymakers, farmers and anyone involved in fiber producing animals. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Food product design; an integrated approach, 2d ed.

The textbook was written to supply the scientific foundation for a master of science course in food technology that requires students to design a food product and the process to make it. Among the topics are the need for food product design, structured food product development based on quality function deployment, barrier technology in food products, food packaging design, life cycle assessment and why it is relevant in food product design, and a case study of a ready-to-eat meal for the health-conscious consumer. The first edition was published in 2007, this second has been substantially revised, and includes a new chapter on emulsions. Distributed in the US by Enfield. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Fundamentals of mold growth in indoor environments and strategies for healthy living.

Researchers from biological, health, and physical sciences in Europe and North America describe fundamentals of indoor mold growth as a foundation for eradicating or reducing it in present buildings and in future energy-efficient buildings. Water is the key factor, so the relationship between mold and water lies at the core of the study. The topics include a toy model of fungal growth and humidity fluctuations, health effects of aerosolized fungal fragments, the fungal resistance of interior finishing materials, mold remediation in Western European buildings, and recommendations. Distributed in the US by Enfield. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Intrahousehold resource allocation and well-being; the case of rual households in Senegal.

Originally presented as the author's Ph.D. thesis, this is a study based on two earner partners living in mixed farming systems in Senegal where livelihoods are primarily from crops and livestock. Dia Sow (socio-economics, Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute) discusses household decision making and presents empirical findings of analysis of welfare and well-being with a blend of subjective and objective methods. Topics include fieldwork and household characteristics, bargaining over expenditures and gender utility functions, and intrahousehold resource allocation. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)