The Compendium of the Microbiological Spoilage of Foods and Beverages is, to our knowledge, the first major publication devoted exclusively to this topic. Comprehensive coverage of microbiological spoilage has been provided by 28 contributors, most of whom have had long and successful careers in the food industry. Their comprehensive experience and knowledge of the microbiological spoilage of foods and beverages and its means of control and prevention have been collected and organized into 12 chapters that include all of the principal food and beverage categories.

This Compendium will be a useful resource for many audiences. It will assist academic and food industry researchers in the development of products and manufacturing processes that will minimize or prevent product spoilage. It will assist quality assurance and engineering personnel in the operation of manufacturing plants so that spoilage is minimized. It is expected that the Compendium will be an important text book for advanced food microbiology classes. It is also likely that public health and non-governmental organizations that are working in developing countries will be able to use information from the Compendium to minimize food spoilage during transportation and storage of foodstuffs, thereby providing their target populations with increased food security.

William H. Sperber

With undergraduate majors in zoology and chemistry, William Sperber earned M.S. and Ph..D. degrees in microbiology at the University of Wisconsin. While working for more than forty years with three major food companies, Best Foods, Pillsbury, and Cargill, he became one of the world's experts in designing and controlling the microbiological quality and safety of foods. Long active in professional and governmental organizations, he is the author of numerous presentations and publications. Now retired, he works part-time as Cargill's Global Ambassador for Food Protection, where he originated the idea and continues to promote the formation of a new United Nations organization, the Food Protection Organization, to better protect the quality and safety of the global food supply.

Michael P. Doyle

With B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in bacteriology/food microbiology earned at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michael Doyle is a Regents Professor of Food Microbiology and Director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. He has served as a scientific advisor on food microbiology topics to many national and international organizations, including the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Life Sciences Institute-North America and many federal food agencies. He is an active researcher on interventions to control microbes in foods, with more than 350 scientific publications on microbiology topics.

Zusammenfassung
The increased emphasis on food safety during the past two decades has decreased the emphasis on the loss of food through spoilage, particularly in developed co- tries where food is more abundant. In these countries spoilage is a commercial issue that affects the pro?t or loss of producers and manufacturers. In lesser developed countries spoilage continues to be a major concern. The amount of food lost to spoilage is not known. As will be evident in this text, stability and the type of spoilage are in?uenced by the inherent properties of the food and many other factors. During the Second World War a major effort was given to developing the te- nologies needed to ship foods to different regions of the world without spoilage. The food was essential to the military and to populations in countries that could not provide for themselves. Since then, progress has been made in improved product formulations, processing, packaging, and distribution systems. New products have continued to evolve,but for many new perishable foods product stability continues to be a limiting factor. Many new products have failed to reach the marketplace because of spoilage issues.

Inhalt
to the Microbiological Spoilage of Foods and Beverages.- Microbiological Spoilage of Dairy Products.- Microbiological Spoilage of Meat and Poultry Products.- Microbiological Spoilage of Fish and Seafood Products.- Microbiological Spoilage of Eggs and Egg Products.- Microbiological Spoilage of Fruits and Vegetables.- Microbiological Spoilage of Canned Foods.- Microbiological Spoilage of Cereal Products.- Microbiological Spoilage of Beverages.- Microbiological Spoilage of Acidified Specialty Products.- Microbiological Spoilage of High-Sugar Products.- Microbiological Spoilage of Spices, Nuts, Cocoa, and Coffee.