Book excerpt: Tropical Foods: Chemistry and Nutrition, Volume 1 covers the proceedings of an international conference on Tropical Foods: Chemistry and Nutrition, held in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 28-30, 1979. It is organized into 18 chapters that focus on the progress in the chemistry and nutrition of tropical foods. After briefly discussing a variety of foods harvested in the Pacific region, this book examines food's sensory characteristics for food quality determination, such as color and appearance, aroma, taste, and texture. The subsequent chapters focus on papaya fruit; the composition of seed; and the chemical and biochemical changes during processing and storage. The book also explains the occurrence, biosynthesis, and pharmacological properties of macrocyclic piperidine and piperideine alkaloids. A chapter describes the chemical and physical changes in harvested fruits at various maturities and their relation to fruit quality, with emphasis on prickly pear. This is followed by discussions on varieties of citrus, avocados, and mangoes of the southern United States and flavor characteristics of muscadine grape and guava. Methods such as solar drying technology, juice extraction processes, and industrial methods of oxygen removal from grapefruit concentrate are also discussed. This book also covers the regulation of terpenoid contents of citrus fruits. Considerable chapters present the production of sugar; cereals from various sources; and non-wheat flours and starches as bread supplements. The concluding chapters examine the nutritional value and toxic properties of yam and the acridity and raphides content of aroid root crops. A discussion on the high effectivity of water-insoluble endosperm pentosan of rye and wheat for bread production is included. This book is an invaluable resource for food scientists, technologists, and manufacturers; students; and those interested in the field.