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The Chemistry of Fragrances gives a complete pic- highlighted throughout the text. It should prove in-
ture of the fascinating world of perfumery; it informs
of the very latest chemistry, techniques and tools ap-
plied to fragrance creativity. Chemists and marketers
at all levels will therefore enjoy it.
Mercedes G. Garaita and John F. Kennedy
Fermentation Microbiology and Biotechnology
E.M.T. El-Mansi and C.F.A. Bryce (Eds.)
Taylor & Francis 1999, xv+307 pp, £22.50,
ISBN: 0 7484 0734 0
Progress in the field of fermentation biotechnology has
grown dramatically, especially due to advancements
in genetic engineering, computer science and process
control. Fermentation Microbiology and Biotechno-
logy gives a comprehensive account of the entire
fermentation process, the underlying science and tech-
nology, and the efficient and effective monitoring and
control of the process. It highlights the multidiscip-
linary nature (encompassing disciplines such as mi-
crobiology, biochemistry, molecular genetics, bioin-
formatics and engineering) and interesting aspects of
fermentation.
The book introduces the reader to the design, op-
eration and applications of fermentors, taken through
the basic principles and relevant applications of fer-
mentation kinetics, and shown the need for effective
bioprocess monitoring through the use of specific bi-
osensors. One is introduced to the concepts of meta-
bolic flux analysis and metabolic engineering, and
shown the value of effective control systems and
strategies, starting with current knowledge based and
expert systems, neural networks and fuzzy logic, to ge-
netic algorithms and modelling, and ending with fully
developed operating and supervision system.
Fermentation Microbiology and Biotechnology il-
lustrates current thinking and front-line research in
the area of fermentation biotechnology. Special atten-
tion is paid to key application areas and novel support
technologies, and an insight into the use of renewable
resources is given.
This book has been contributed to by experts in
the field, both in academia and industry, and hence
ensures a good balance between theory and practice.
It contains extensive illustrations and key concepts are
valuable to fermentation industrialists, as well as for
students in the fields of applied and industrial mi-
crobiology, metabolic engineering and fermentation
technology.
John F. Kennedy & Nahid Turan
Biological Process Engineering A. T. Johnson
John Wiley & Sons Ltd., New York, 1999
772 pp £64.50, ISBN 0-471-24547-X
Transport phenomena in materials involve three main
processes: fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer.
By common consent this is a difficult subject, and
scientists without a strong mathematical background
often view some of the essential theory as being of
prohibitive complexity. Newcomers to the field of pro-
cess engineering are thus sometimes discouraged by
existing texts, whose depth of detail and highly math-
ematical nature can be extremely off-putting. Biolo-
gical engineering is a fast growing field in which there
is an established need to understand the roles of the
three main transport processes in a wide variety of
areas: these include biotechnology, medicine, the en-
vironment, food manufacturing and ecology and of
course so many materials do involve macromolecular
carbohydrates.
Biological Process Engineering presents a prac-
tical approach to fluid flow, heat transfer and mass
transfer applied to biological systems. Analogical
thinking is promoted as a powerful tool for achieving
real breakthroughs in the imagination and understand-
ing of the transport processes that are involved in
real-life biological applications. Graphs and figures
are used extensively to help the reader understand the
material presented, while a real attempt is made to
limit the mathematical treatment to the essential min-
imum. Successive chapters deal with system concepts
for transport processes, fluid flow systems, heat trans-
fer systems and mass transfer. Numerous illustrative
examples and chapter problems are drawn from a
broad range of biological systems. The book provides
the reader with a firm basis for the more theoret-
ical topics at the same time as introducing diverse
biological phenomena.
This book is well presented, and makes a good
attempt at balancing the conceptual, analogical and