Jicama as a Food Plant

The botanical family of the jicama plant is not specified in the text.

Jicama is a perennial herb, a vine.

The native region of origin for jicama is not specified.

The location of jicama's first domestication is not specified.

Harvest the tuberous root, peel off the brown skin, cut into sticks, cubes, or slices.

Jatropha curcas belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, which includes plants like rubber trees and poinsettias.

Jatropha curcas is a woody shrub or small tree. It's not a vine or a herb.

Jatropha curcas is native to Central and South America, but it has spread to other tropical regions.

Jatropha is grown for its seeds, which are used to extract oil for biodiesel production and other uses.

Jatropha seeds are processed to extract oil through multiple steps: drying, crushing, pressing, filtering and refining.

Plant parts harvested from the soil, including true roots and modified underground stems.

Plant parts specialized for absorbing water and nutrients, often with a taproot for storage.

Stems adapted for storing carbohydrates, types include bulbs, rhizomes, tubers, and corms.

A genus of monocotyledonous bulb plants including onions, garlic, chives, and leeks.

A volatile sulfur compound responsible for the pungent flavor and eye irritation of Allium plants.

Spices contain aromatic terpenoids, also known as essential or volatile oils, which give them their unique flavors and aromas. These oils are released when the plant is crushed, cut, or cooked.

The Crusades played a significant role in spreading spices. Initially, the Crusaders needed transport to the Holy Land, and they made a deal with Venetian merchants. When they couldn't pay for their transport, they were forced to help the Venetians militarily, ultimately leading to the sacking of Constantinople.

The Venetians, after helping the Crusaders sack Constantinople, became the main distributors of exotic spices from the trans-Asian Spice Trade. Their wealth from the spice trade fueled Venice's cultural, artistic, and architectural legacy.

The Spice Trade involved exchanging spices, primarily black pepper, from India, China, and the Arabian Peninsula for European goods like grains, glass, wine, and wool.

Marco Polo's expeditions helped introduce new Indian and East Asian spices to Europe, further expanding the variety and availability of spices.

The most basic unit of carbohydrates which can't be broken down further, e.g., glucose and fructose.

Two monosaccharides linked together by a glycosidic bond. Examples include sucrose (glucose + fructose) and lactose (glucose + galactose).

Both are made of glucose units. Starch uses alpha (α) 1-4 glycosidic bonds, making it digestible. Cellulose uses beta (ß) 1-4 glycosidic bonds, making it indigestible for most organisms.

An alcohol derived from plant sugars (e.g., sucrose) through fermentation. It can replace or supplement gasoline. It's considered sustainable because it's renewable through photosynthesis.

Bioethanol is derived from plants, which continuously produce sugar through photosynthesis, making it a renewable energy source unlike fossil fuels.

Trans fats, formed by artificially changing the structure of plant oils, are harmful to human health. They increase bad cholesterol and can contribute to heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients found in certain plant oils like flaxseed oil. Our bodies can't produce them, so we need to get them from food.

Saponification is the chemical reaction that creates soap. It involves the breakdown of fats (triglycerides) by a strong base, like lye, to form soap and glycerol.

Soap molecules have two parts: a hydrophobic (water-repelling) end that attracts dirt and grease, and a hydrophilic (water-loving) end that dissolves in water.

Historically, soaps were made by reacting animal fats (tallow) or plant oils with lye, a strong base.

Biodiesel is a renewable, plant-based fuel produced by transesterifying vegetable oils or animal fats with alcohol (usually ethanol or methanol). This process separates fatty acids from glycerol, replacing glycerol with alcohol to form methyl esters, which make up biodiesel.

Biodiesel is considered sustainable because it is a renewable energy source. Plants, through photosynthesis, capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce their oils. When biodiesel is burned, it releases this captured carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, creating a near-neutral carbon cycle.

While biodiesel produces lower net life cycle emissions than petrodiesel (about 60% less), it has a higher nitric oxide (NOx) emission rate (about 10% higher). NOx is a significant air pollutant.

Canola oil, derived from the canola plant (Brassica napus), is a versatile oil with high levels of healthy polyunsaturated fats like oleic and linoleic acid. It's widely used in cooking, salad dressings, margarines, and mayonnaise, and also has potential as a biodiesel source.

The name "canola" comes from "Canadian oil, low acid". This variety of Brassica napus was developed in the 1970s at the University of Manitoba due to its low erucic acid content, making it safe for human consumption and more suitable for industrial uses.

Latex is a milky liquid produced by some plants, mainly composed of polymers like polyisoprene, along with smaller amounts of proteins, alkaloids, resins, and gums.

Latex serves two main purposes for plants: it protects them from injuries by sealing wounds, and it deters herbivores, pests, and pathogens due to its bitter taste and potential toxicity.

Vulcanization is a process where rubber is heated with sulfur, peroxide, and bisphenol to make it stronger, more durable, and less susceptible to temperature changes. This process creates cross-links between isoprene polymers.

Cured rubber has special properties: it can store strain energy both electrostatically, like a spring, and thermally, meaning it cools as it contracts.

Natural rubber is mainly produced in Southeast Asia and Africa because the Para rubber tree, the primary source, is susceptible to a fungal leaf blight in its native Amazon region. These regions are free from this blight.

Plant fibers are long, strong strands made of cellulose, found in various parts of plants. They are often used to make cloth, rope, and paper.

Ginning is a mechanical process that separates cotton fibers from cotton seeds. It uses rollers and teeth to pull the fibers apart.

Retting is a process used to extract bast fibers from plant stems by decomposing them using bacteria and water.

Decortication is a mechanical method used to extract fibers from plant leaves by crushing and scraping away non-fibrous material.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the most important plant seed fiber globally, used for various textiles and products.

The two main coffee species are arabica (Coffea arabica) and robusta (C. canephora). Arabica is known for its superior flavor and used in higher-quality coffees, while robusta is more bitter and used in instant coffees and blends.

The top coffee producers today are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, and Indonesia, with smaller contributions from Central America and Africa.

The processing steps for coffee beans involve: floating to remove defects, pulp removal, fermentation to remove residual pulp, washing and drying, roasting for flavor, and blending for a characteristic flavor.

Arabica coffee, native to Ethiopia, is known for its superior flavor and is usually used in high-quality coffee blends. Robusta, native to Western Africa, has a more bitter taste and is commonly used in instant coffee and cheaper blends.

Venetian merchants introduced coffee to Europe in 1615. Coffee spread rapidly through Europe, reaching France in 1640 and England by 1650.