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USDA-ARS, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, College Station, TX 77845
(Callaway{at}ffsru.tamu.edu)
Ashok Pandey, The Haworth Reference Press, 10 Alice St., Binghamton, NY 13904-1580. 2006. 755 p. $149.94 hardback. ISBN 1-56022-980-2.
Biotechnology is an emerging field and has rapidly become a buzzword in popular culture and politics today. From cloning to DNA manipulation, to amino acid production to wastewater treatment, to alcohol and biofuel production, all are covered under the catchall title of biotechnology. With such a broad field it is not possible to be an expert in all details of this field, even for a scientist. The field is evolving so rapidly that a reference guide to the current state of the art has been badly needed. It has been stated that "the twenty-first century is... a biofuture." This is likely to be seen in the twenty-second century as having been a gross understatement. With the development of genetic manipulation of the human genome and foods, and the need to avoid a Malthusian future by producing more food from less land and nutrient input, coupled with the need to find alternative energy sources from waste products, the world's needs that will be addressed through biotechnology will only grow over time.
This book is a specialist's dream. Most scientists have a narrow but deep focus; this book is just the opposite. The Concise Encylopedia provides specific information on a wide variety of topics in a general short review format. It addresses a very diverse, broad field and provides a jumping-off point for researchers interested in following up in more detail. The chapters are written by leaders in the individual processes from around the world. It is truly an international encyclopedia describing a growing, diverse international field.
While there is not a common thread running through this book since it is a compilation of many short reviews, it remains a cohesive whole as a general reference to cover this field. The encyclopedia is divided up into several general sections: Environmental Biotechnology (e.g., wastewater treatment, textile effluents), Food Biotechnology (e.g., biotransformation, food additive production), and Industrial Biotechnology (e.g., alcohol fermentation, amino acid production). Each section is comprised of several chapters addressing important topics within each sub-field. This allows a reader to understand a specific topic and examine related processes. The clustering of topics together aids one in trying to improve existing, or devise new, processes by determining the how and why of biotechnology in industrial or real-world settings.
This encyclopedia provides a basic overview of many of the industrial processes as they are used in the real world. For example, many of us know that wastewater is treated biologically; however, only a limited number would be able to draw a flow chart of the process or a diagram of a treatment reactor and be able to derive the pertinent equations for efficiency. A general reference for all these current processes is of use to researchers, academics, industrial scientists, regulatory officials, and investors interested in enhancing the future through biotechnology. As such, this concise encyclopedia has a place on the bookshelf for most involved in the field of biotechnology.
Proprietary or brand names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by the USDA implies neither approval of the product, nor exclusion of others that may be suitable.
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