This volume results from the Eighth Basic Symposium held by the Institute of Food Technologists in Anaheim, California on June 8-9, 1984. The theme of the symposium was "Chemical Changes in Food during Processing." The speakers included a mix of individuals from academic institu tions, governmental agencies, and the food industry. Twenty speakers discussed topics ranging from the basic chemistry relating to food constituents to the more applied aspects of chemical changes in food components during food processing. It was the intent of the organizers to bring together a group of speakers who could address the chemistry of changes in food compo nents during processing from a mechanistic point of view. As a con sequence, the proceedings of this symposium emphasize the basic chemistry of changes in food constituents from a generic perspective which is intended to provide the reader with a background to address more specific problems that may arise.