Overview

The first edition of this book was very well received by the various groups (lecturers, students, researchers and industrialists) interested in the scientific and techno- logical aspects of cheese. The initial printing was sold out faster than anticipated and created an opportunity to revise and extend tht; baok. The second edition retains all 21 subjects from the first edition, generally revised by the same authors and in some cases expanded considerably. In addition, 10 new chapters have been added: Cheese: Methods of chemical analysis; Biochemistry of cheese ripening; Water activity and the composition of cheese; Growth and survival of pathogenic and other undesirable microorganisms in cheese; Mem- brane processes in cheese technology, in Volume 1 and North-European varieties; Cheeses of the former USSR; Mozzarella and Pizza cheese; Acid-coagulated cheeses and Cheeses from sheep's and goats' milk in Volume 2. These new chapters were included mainly to fill perceived deficiencies in the first edition. The book provides an in-depth coverage of the principal scientific and techno- logical aspects of cheese. While it is intended primarily for lecturers, senior students and researchers, production management and quality control personnel should find it to be a very valuable reference book. Although cheese production has become increasingly scientific in recent years, the quality of the final product is still not totally predictable. It is not claimed that this book will provide all the answers for the cheese scientist/technologist but it does provide the most com- prehensive compendium of scientific knowledge on cheese available.