You may be forgiven for never wanting to eat again when you ve read this book and learnt about some of the attempts to rip off the food customer over time Food fraud is sadly big business and despite scientific advances and greater observation it is still taking place, each and every day The author serves up a comprehensive look at what some of us have been eating and it is very unpleasant, concerning reading In many ways, we are allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of, since we are increasi [...]

A thorough examination of how entrenched and insidious food fraud has become in the pursuit of greed and profit This book is quite heavy on the science side but there s still plenty of investigative shock horror that will keep laypersons interested I m reasonably familiar with food fraud but I m armed with new trivia including the use of brick dust to stretch chilli powder, dried papaya seeds adulterating peppercorns, and the dangerous addition of peanut and almond shells to pad out cumin And th [...]

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Rating 3.5 5I resolved to read non fiction this year, and Sorting the Beef from the Bull was a fascinating addition to my shelf It does get a bit science heavy at times, but it s incredibly interesting to read about the various food fraud scams that take place, and how analysts try to figure out what s going on think CSI of the culinary world.From substituting meat species, to adding extra water or other dodgy substitutes to bulk up the contents, mislabelling different types of fish meat veg to [...]

Sorting the Beef from the Bull describes various types of food fraud and what scientists and consumers can do about it While there is some science talk when describing how food fraud can be detected, the authors did a good job of explaining those tests in a way that non scientists can follow If you can follow a CSI type show, then you can follow this book The authors started by giving an overview of food adulteration, then they described the origins of food fraud detection and compared it to wha [...]

A super review into what goes into the food we buy at the super market If you are a core vegetarian or exclude specific animals like beef pork from your meat intake, please dont read this book there is disconcerting information The author has covered a huge range of topics in a easily readable manner and I am totally impressed by it, especially considering that this is a highly technical topic that affects our day to day lives.

Easy casual read, some interesting factoids and food testing science information than you ll ever need.

While not an easy read, certainly an entertaining one The authors do not skimp of technical speak, nor do they water down the content to fit every reader One will find an excellent book for anyone interested in biochemistry, genetics, or where how food comes to the consumer A very good read

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I got this book from our local library because food safety is an issue that interests me Coming from a farm family I have a natural interest in issues revolving around agriculture and food At different points along the way I ve even thought about being a food and ag scientist Certainly some of the people I most admire fit that bill Norman Borlaug and Kevin Folta Sorting the Beef from the Bull is about a part of food science that I hadn t really thought much about food fraud It takes on the trick [...]

Fake eggs Fake milk Synthetic cow dung bulking out a spice Grass seed coloured with charcoal dust masquerading as another spice Silver nanoparticles used to coat fruit and vegetables I m making this up Alas No All are mentioned in Richard Evershed and Nicola Temple s excellent book on food fraud.Fabricated eggs are a Chinese speciality Fake milk is widely available in India Is there anything we need to look out for in Western Europe, now that the horse meat scandal is over Mysteriously, the amou [...]

I received this book from NetGalley The book is fast paced and gripping It makes you both scared that what you re eating might not be what you think it is and angry that consumers are put in this position such that you want stiffer penalties and enforcement I had no idea how widespread food fraud and adulteration were including not just meat but products like eggs, juice, milk, wine, fish, cheese, beer, spices, and cooking oils The lengths that companies will go to in order to cut corners and s [...]

Since the first commercial food production, adulteration has been a tempting way to stretch profits by watering down the wine or whitening the bread with alum, and authorities rarely have the inspection capabilities unless a company is poisoning people Evershed delves into the food chemistry problems of trying to set policy about pure food when we also deliberately take fats out of food and replace them with artificial ingredients to make things fat free, people expect and demand extremely cheap [...]

A very eye opening and well researched book which, though not without a rather British sense of humor, is quite dead serious about fraudulent food and the science behind both its production and its detection It can get repetitive at times, and some sections are arguably informative than others, but its worth a read for anyone who cares about what they eat, what they believe they re paying for, and the global implications of such decisions I received a Review Copy of this book via NetGalley

A very interesting read if you ve ever wondered about the process that goes into getting food to our supermarket and plate At times it was quite biochemistry heavy when I was interested in the scandal behind the science I ve already applied things I ve learnt when I ve been shopping and will try some of the spices tests too I also felt it had a consistent narrative voice despite being written by two authors Well worth reading especially if you want to avoid eating horse again.

This book is an eye opener It makes you really think about what your food is, where it comes from, and whether it truly is what it claims to be I learned a lot I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.