In 1987 Quest International convened its 1st International Scientific Symposium on the timely topic of 'Healthy Eating: A Scientific Perspective'. This assembly at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, England, initiated a series of symposia designed to explore current topics of great interest to the food industry on a scientific level. The success of the 1st symposium in the series was assured by bringing together an audience of senior technical staff from compa'lies representing food industries in various parts of the world and the noted experts who were invited to present the latest information on the theme of healthy eating. These Proceedings continue the series, providing an account of the 2nd Quest International Scientific Symposium on 'Biotechnology Challenges for the Flavor and Food Industry' held at Williamsburg, Virginia, USA in 1988. Historically, within the field of food ingredients, few technical endeavors have posed greater potential opportunities than biotechnology. However, equally important challenges face the workers in a number of related disciplines, and these individuals must communicate effectively and work in concert to develop these opportunities into useable technologies. Con­ tributors to the 2nd Quest symposium represent many of the disciplines involved, and provide a broad perspective of the activities and excitement surrounding biotechnology today. After an excellent introduction to the basics of biotechnology, current progress in microbiological fermentations, enzyme tailoring for specific applications, and plant biotechnology were discussed.