Molecules, Microbes, and Meals

Introduction -- The origins of spices (and other foodstuffs) -- Consistency and change : proteins in food -- Build 'em up and break 'em down -- Fat, oils, and the uneasy truces of emulsions and foams -- From sweetness to structure : carbohydrates in food -- The many roles of micro-organisms : the good, the bad and the ugly -- The rising power of yeast -- A word on the wonderful weirdness of water -- From Napoleon to NASA : the development of food processing -- Heating and cooling of food : simple, crude but effective -- For my next trick : making water disappear -- Squashing, filtering, and other ways we process food -- Not just a bag : the science of food packaging -- Innovation and the development of recipes and formulations -- The experience of eating -- The kitchen and the lab -- Final thoughts -- Appendix. On the analysis of food.