Food chemistry has grown considerably since its early foundations were laid. This has been brought about not only by research in this field, but also, and more importantly, bYiadvances in the basic sciences involved. In this second edition, the chapters dealing with fundamentals have been rewritten and strengthened. Three new chapters have been added, Water and Solutions, Colloids, and Minerals. The chapter on Fruits and Vegetables has been expanded to cover texture. Other chapters discuss flavor and colors, together with one on brown­ ing reactions. The last seven chapters give the student a background of the classes offood products and beverages encountered in everyday use. Each chapter includes a summary and a list of references and sug­ gested readings to assist the student in study and to obtain further information. Basic Food Chemistry is intended for college undergraduates and for use in food laboratories. The author wishes to express his appreciation to the following people, who reviewed the chapters on their respective specialties: Doctors L.R. Hackler, M. Keeney, B. Love, L.M. Massey, Jr., L.R. Mattick, W.B. Robinson, R.S. Shallenberger,D.F. Splittstoesser, E. Stotz, W.L. Sulz­ bacher, and J. Van Buren. In addition, the author wishes to express his appreciation to Dr. H.O. Hultin and Dr. F.W. Knapp for their reviews of the entire original manuscript and for their helpful comments. The author welcomes notices of errors and omissions as well as sug­ gestions and constructive criticism.