Downloaded by KAOHSIUNG MEDICAL UNIV on June 9, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1977 | doi: 10.1021/ba-1977-0160.pr001
PREFACE
s requirements for high quality protein increase, it will become more and more necessary to improve the properties of seed proteins, fish protein concentrate, single cell protein, leaf protein, etc. to meet the world's protein needs. Cereals and legumes genetically selected for high yields of protein generally have lower nutritional value. To satisfy the nutritional needs we can (a) return to lower yielding, higher nutritive value varieties, (b) continue to seek genetically selected varieties that are both high yielding and high in nutritional values, or (c) chemically or enzymatically modify the proteins from the higher yielding varieties to give them the desired nutritional and functional properties. The last two methods will probably be needed since the exploding world popula tion will not permit us to depend on the lower yielding varieties of plants. The day may come when we can no longer afford to convert low quality protein to higher quality protein via the cow, pig, or chick with the relatively low efficiency yield. The intentional modification of food constituents to improve quality has long been practiced. In food manufacture lipids and carbohydrates are often intentionally modified to impart certain desired characteristics to foods. Important examples are the hydrogénation of polyunsaturated lipids to increase the melting point, and the acetylation and carboxymethylation of carbohydrates to change their textural characteristics. Similar examples are not available for food proteins. Modifications of food proteins to produce different functional prop erties, to prevent processing damages, or to improve their nutritional values are not used commercially to a large extent at this time. We hope that this symposium will provide information which will attract interest to this problem. This symposium brings together experts in thefieldof chemical and enzyamtic modification of proteins. The authors discuss what is pres ently being done in this area; however, each of them has been challenged to set forth further possibilities in this area and to bring forth new ideas which may at this time appear to be "blue sky" thinking but which will challenge the food scientist and the technologist to strive to implement the ideas. The history of mankind indicates over and over again that it vii Feeney and Whitaker; Food Proteins Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1977.
is for lack of ideas that progress is stalled; given the ideas, man can usually rise to the challenge of implementation. We hope this will be true for modification of proteins for food use. Davis, Calif. January 1976
Downloaded by KAOHSIUNG MEDICAL UNIV on June 9, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1977 | doi: 10.1021/ba-1977-0160.pr001
ROBERT E . FEENEY JOHN R. WHITAKER
viii Feeney and Whitaker; Food Proteins Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1977.
