Though much of our collective knowledge on microbiological spoilage has accrued over the past century and is still valid today, there is no one place to find this information.

Compendium of the Microbiological Spoilage of Foods and Beverages is the first book to collect this important information. This book is edited by William H. Sperber and Michael P. Doyle, two of the best researchers in this field.

The increased emphasis on food safety during the past two decades has decreased the emphasis on the loss of food through spoilage, particularly in developed countries where food is more abundant. In these countries spoilage is a commercial issue that affects the profit or loss of producers and manufacturers. In lesser developed countries spoilage continues to be a major concern. The amount of food lost to spoilage is not known. As will be evident in this text, stability and the type of spoilage are influenced by the inherent properties of the food and many other factors.