Food is comprised entirely of chemicals. Some of these provide our energy and body mass needs or help with metabolic processes, others make the food palatable, while others are undesirable to one degree or another. Many have no role to play at all; these and the undesirable compounds are merely associated with the food in its raw or processed state. A relatively small number of chemicals are added to food during formulation or processing, but most of these have no dietary significance at all.

In addition to requiring convenience and safety from food products, today s consumer also demands good eating quality (e.g. good flavour) and specific dietary attributes, such as more fibre and protein, lower fat levels, and the complete absence of some chemicals (e.g. nut proteins, lactose or wheat gluten). This impinges on the whole of the food manufacturing chain, from the growing of fruit, vegetable and cereal crops and the production of livestock, through the development of completely new foods such as Quorn, to the formulation of an unprecendented range of processed and manufactured foods. The production of many of these foods has required many years of development, and some tasks are still proving to be a problem such as the reduction of fat levels in certain bakery products. Not only have food technologists been involved in these developments, but also the demand for products suitable for consumers with specific medical conditions, such as severe allergies or intolerances to certain ingredients has meant that the whole management of the...