Probiotic foods in health and disease

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[edited by] Seppo Salminen ... [et al

"Updated with the substantial progress made in lactic acid and bacteria research since the third edition, this fourth volume discusses improved insights in genetics and new molecular biological techniques. Thoroughly reorganized, this book incorporates the recent changes in new molecular techniques and the mechanistic understanding of probiotic functionality. The book remains firmly grounded in the basics of lactic acid bacteria; their genetics and taxonomy, their application in food and feed preparation, their health properties, and the legal issues associated with their use"--Provided by publisher.

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Jacy Reese

"Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals brought widespread attention to the disturbing realities of factory farming. The End of Animal Farming pushes this conversation forward by outlining a strategic roadmap to a humane, ethical, and efficient food system in which slaughterhouses are obsolete--where the tastes of even the most die-hard meat eater are satisfied by innovative food technologies like cultured meats and plant-based protein. Social scientist and animal advocate Jacy Reese analyzes the social forces leading us toward the downfall of animal agriculture, the technology making this change possible for the meat-hungry public, and the activism driving consumer demand for plant-based and cultured foods. Reese contextualizes the issue of factory farming--the inhumane system of industrial farming that 95 percent of farmed animals endure--as part of humanity's expanding moral circle. Humanity increasingly treats nonhuman animals, from household pets to orca whales, with respect and kindness, and Reese argues that farmed animals are the next step. Reese applies an analytical lens of "effective altruism," the burgeoning philosophy of using evidence-based research to maximize one's positive impact in the world, in order to better understand which strategies can help expand the moral circle now and in the future. The End of Animal Farming is not a scolding treatise or a prescription for an ascetic diet. Reese invites readers--vegan and non-vegan--to consider one of the most important and transformational social movements of the coming decades."--Publisher's description.

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David Keen

David Keen argues that famines, such as that which devastated the Dinka of Sudan in the 1980s, often have powerful beneficiaries within the affected nation, including political elites and traders. Meanwhile, shortcomings in the manner of international intervention, while contributing to famine, may offer significant political and bureaucratic benefits for international donors. Famine is not necessarily an apocalyptic natural disaster: it may have functions as well as causes. Drawing on a range of historical information and the accounts of famine sufferers, aid providers, and government officials, Keen explains the causes of the Sudanese famine, extracting vital lessons about the future of effective famine relief. Identifying those Sudanese interests that actively promoted famine and obstructed relief, Keen shows how the assets of the politically powerless Dinka were forcibly transferred to beneficiary groups. In a sense, and contrary to the emphasis of Amartya Sen, it was the Dinkas' wealth, rather than their poverty, which exposed them to famine in a context where they lacked political redress against exploitation. For the most part, international donors failed to counteract the processes leading to famine or to speak up on behalf of those who lacked political influence in their own society. At a time when the effectiveness of the U.N. and the international community in such crises is increasingly being questioned, this provocative work provides compelling evidence of flaws in current thinking about humanitarian intervention and in its practice.

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Kimberley Veness

Part of the nonfiction Footprints series for middle readers. Illustrated with many color photographs, this book explores where the food we eat comes from and what the future of farming looks like.