FOREWORD -

This book is written for everybody interested in the preparation of food from the manufacturing plant executive, the food chemist, and the food salesman, right down to the housewife. The author's knowledge of the subject is based on scientific training and many years of practical, first-hand experience in the manufacture of foods. In addition to compiling the results of his own experience, he has included methods developed and used by other specialists in the field.

Whether the food manufacturer has an old, well-established business or is just starting up a small plant, it is hoped that this book will be an essential part of his equipment. To the established manufacturer, it presents the latest developments and the newest scientific methods in the field of food production.

To the beginner, it offers the fundamentals on materials and methods, without which he cannot hope to be successful. Although the production of good, nutritious food is still an art, as it has always been, in this age of rapid scientific development and ever-increasing knowledge, it is fast becoming an exact science. The food manufacturer must plan wisely and prepare his products scientifically and with understanding.

This book presents the manufacture of food as a series of operations governed by well-defined physical, chemical, and bacteriological principles which must be understood and carefully followed for good results.

Scientific, factory-tested formulas for making hundreds of commercial food products in the canning, flavoring, beverage, confectionery, bakery, condiment, dairy, meat, fish, and allied industries. The sections on plant sanitation and food handling present the latest scientific methods of hygienic control in the food industry. The most modern developments in the fields of dehydration and freezing of fruits and vegetables are completely discussed in a comprehensive chapter on the subject.