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PrefaceThe market for edible films and coatings has experienced remarkable growth over the last 5 years according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This growth is expected to continue. Accompanying this growth is a vast amount of knowledge on edible films and coatings acquired through research and product development work as well as advances in material science and processing technology. For the past 15 years, there were numerous research articles published and research projects undertaken by the academic and research communities as well as the food and pharmaceutical industry. The impact of sustainability programs, carbon foot printing and heightened interest on the use of renewable resources further propelled and will continue to propel the growth and interests on edible films and coatings. In addition, edible film and coating are adding value to agricultural and food industries by-products. With this backdrop, this book on Edible Films and Coatings for Food Applications was organized and created. This book brings together edible film and coating experts from various scientific disciplines from the academic and research institutions and the food industry (protein, carbohydrate/polysaccharide and lipid chemistry, engineering, and manufacturing).The book starts with a valuable edible films and coatings historical and general overview, followed by four chapters on structure-function relationship of biomaterials used in the preparation of edible films and coatings (proteins, polysaccharide gums, starches and waxes and lipids). These four chapters also include discussion on preparation and properties of edible films and coatings made from these biomaterials. The next six chapters discuss specific applications of edible films and coatings such as protection of fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry and for the delivery of food additives, flavors and active ingredients. The next two chapters deal with mechanical and permeability properties and new advances in analytical techniques for edible films and coatings. Quite unique in this book is the discussion of commercial manufacture of edible films and coatings authored by one of the pioneers in the field. Each author developed his or her chapter in a comprehensive manner such that each chapter can stand on its own. This book was created to help the novice in edible films and coatings as well as those already immersed in the field with the hope that the topics d...