BACKGROUND Aflatoxins are a metabolite of Aspergillus molds and are widespread in the natural environment. Workers who handle food grains are at increased risk of exposure to aflatoxins and subsequently certain respiratory conditions. In India, more than half of the employed population is engaged in some type of agricultural work, yet little known about the respiratory problems as a result of e...

Worldwide more food than ever is produced these days. It would be enough to feed everybody by far. However, only a limited group of the global population enjoys an adequate food supply. About 854 million people are undernourished worldwide. The global situation shows that hunger cannot be fought by just producing enough food. The socio-cultural complex of nutrition and food habits cannot be red...

Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Tsushima, Okayama 700–8530, Japan Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62000, Nairobi 00200, Kenya Department of Food Systems, Faculty of Food Culture, Kurashiki Sakuyo University, Nagao Tamashima, Kurashiki 710–0292, Japan College...

1. Evolution of Dietary Culture 1.1. Hunting and Gathering 1.2. The Era of Agricultural Food Production 1.3. The Middle Ages—Agriculture and Dietary Habits 1.4. The Industrial Revolution and Dietary Habits 2. Food and Religion 2.1. Western Religions 2.1.1. Christianity 2.1.2. Islam 2.1.3 Judaism 2.2. Eastern Religions 2.2.1 Buddhism 2.2.2. Hinduism 3. Food Habits in Different Regions 3.1. Asian...

Polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) fingerprinting was recently introduced into food microbiology. This paper describes the technique and reports on the state-of-the-art application of this technique to food and food-related ecosystems. Applications of PCR-DGGE in several fields of food microbiology are reviewed: the identification of microorganisms isol...