ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the use of the microscope not only in the identification of foodstuffs but also in the quantification of their components. The preparation of a specimen for viewing may be by far the most important operation in microscopy. The mode of preparation will obviously depend on the purpose of the viewer, and it is self-evident that it should be designed to conserve and even enhance the specific features to be observed. For most general observations it is of particular interest to see the contents of cells and tissues, their positional relationships, and their dimensions. For this kind of observation, when the food material is reasonably tender, the classical paraffin method is generally used. Paraffin embedment often results in a loss of enzyme activity, a loss of lipids, shrinking, and presumably hardening because of dehydration during the process of transfer into paraffin.
