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Abstract
Excerpt from the report Preface: Agricultural materials have been losing ground to synthetic materials in industrial, feed, fiber, and food markets. In recent years, the technological pace has quickened in the food industry with the development of synthetic food flavoring and coloring agents, the ability to synthesize most of the important amino acid groups, and other technological breakthroughs. These advances permit food processors to produce synthetic foods approaching natural foods in quality and cost. Similar advancements have taken place in industrial, feed, and fiber markets. Synthetic animal feeds and leather substitutes are examples of recent technical advances. Such developments have accentuated the need for an overall assessment of the future for agricultural materials.