Jicama: History and Usage

Jicama belongs to the Pachyrhizus family.

Jicama is a perennial herb.

Jicama's origin is not specified in this text.

The information about the domestication location of Jicama is not explicitly mentioned here.

The text states two regions where Jicama is most widely grown and used are not stated in this text.

The tuberous root is harvested.

The brown skin is peeled off.

Peeling is followed by cutting into shapes (sticks, cubes, slices).

The plant family that Jatropha belongs to.

A woody plant, specifically a tree or shrub.

The region where Jatropha naturally grows.

Grown for its oil, primarily used to create biodiesel.

Jatropha seeds are used to extract the oil.

Removing moisture from Jatropha seeds to prepare them for oil extraction.

Breaking down the dried seeds to get access to the oil within.

Squeezing the crushed seeds to extract the oil.

Removing impurities from the extracted oil.

Improving the oil's quality for specific purposes, like biodiesel production.

The Solanaceae family, which also includes tomatoes.

Domesticated in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia and Peru.

Brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 1500s.

Became a crucial starch source in northern and eastern Europe.

A fungal disease that decimated potato crops in Ireland in the mid-1800s.

Large-scale famine caused by potato blight in Ireland, resulting in high mortality.

Monocots that are important tubers in tropical regions

A significant corm, a monocot, originating from the Indian subcontinent.

A shortened, underground stem that stores food.

A plant part (above-ground or below-ground), except fruit

Edible plant parts dug from the soil, including true roots and some stems

Plant part for water/nutrient absorption & conduction

Large, swollen true root, specialized for storage

Modified stem with basal scale leaves (onion, garlic)

Swollen, horizontal underground stem (ginger, licorice)

Swollen rhizome tip with buds (potato, yam)

Enlarged, swollen stem base (water chestnut, taro)

Above-ground plant parts (except fruit) - leaves, stems, immature parts

Genus of monocots, containing onions, garlic, leeks

Plant parts (fruits, seeds, leaves, or rhizomes) used in cooking to add flavor and aroma.

Aromatic chemicals, mainly terpenoids, within plant cells.

Chemicals that easily turn into gas.

Spices help prevent food spoilage.

Spices contain substances that kill microbes.

Spices cover up unpleasant smells in food.

Spices add depth of flavor to plain foods.

The Crusades indirectly increased the spread of spices to Europe through Venetian merchants.

A pivotal historical event where Venetian merchants leverage Crusaders for support, leading to Constantinople's sack.

Venice became the central distributor of spices from Asia after the Fourth Crusade.

Exchange of spices from Asia (India, China) for European goods, enriching Venice.

Marco Polo's travels brought more spices from Asia to Europe.

Historic trade routes used to transport goods by camel and horse across land.

The difficulty and unpredictability of getting spices to Europe overland, due to high prices and risks.

Finding an alternative sea route to India and Asia, sailing around Africa by Vasco de Gama in 1499.

Early dominance of the spice trade by a Portuguese company.

The British and Dutch companies taking over the spice trade, breaking the Portuguese monopoly.

The Dutch establishing a colony in what is now Indonesia, due to spice trade.

The British company taking control of the Malay Peninsula (now Malaysia), due to spice trade.

Established in the 1800s by the British and Dutch, ensuring a stable supply of spices, medicinal plants, rubber, and sugar.

Large plant family, mostly herbs and low shrubs, containing essential oils in their leaves.

Mediterranean shrub with pungent flavour, widely used in cooking and in cosmetics/perfumes.

Mediterranean herb with tiny leaves used in various dishes and as a garnish.

Eurasian perennial herb, pungent flavour, used widely in Italian cooking and other dishes.

The most basic type of sugar, like glucose and fructose.

Two monosaccharides joined together, like sucrose (table sugar).

A polysaccharide made of many glucose molecules, digestible by most organisms.

The chemical bond that links sugar units.

A polysaccharide, primarily structural for plants, difficult for animals to digest.

A bond type found in starch.

A bond type found in cellulose.

A refined petroleum product, not a renewable energy source.

A renewable alcohol fuel made from plants.

Producing ethanol through fermentation of sugars.

Measured by the ratio of bioethanol energy produced to the energy required for its manufacture.

The ratio of bioethanol energy produced to the energy required to make it. A higher ratio indicates greater efficiency.

Indicates bioethanol production is inefficient; the energy produced only slightly exceeds the energy used.

Signifies the process is efficient, the energy output from bioethanol significantly exceeds the energy used in its production.

Methods for converting cellulose into sugar, crucial for producing bioethanol from cellulose.

A tall perennial grass used as a source of sugar for bioethanol production.

Produces 5,300-6,500 liters of bioethanol per hectare.

The trade network involving Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, using enslaved Africans to produce sugar.

Manufactured goods shipped from Europe to Africa in exchange for enslaved people.

Lipid-soluble triglycerides consisting of three fatty acids and glycerol, typically extracted from seeds or fruits; liquid at room temperature.

Fats with no double bonds between carbon atoms in the fatty acid chain; fully bonded with hydrogen atoms.

Fats with one or more double bonds in the fatty acid chain; not fully bonded with hydrogen atoms.

Unsaturated fats with one double bond.

Unsaturated fats with multiple double bonds.

Heating oil in a vacuum with water to saturate unsaturated fatty acid chains to prevent rancidity, increase viscosity, and raise melting point.

Hydrogen atoms on the same side of the double bond, often creating a bend or kink in the molecule.

Hydrogen atoms on opposite sides of the double bond, creating a more linear structure and often a higher melting point.

Fatty acids created during hydrogenation, linked to increased LDL cholesterol and decreased HDL cholesterol, potentially raising heart disease risk.

Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids with a configuration that's not naturally occurring in plant oils. They're often used to increase shelf life in processed foods but are harmful to human health.

Unsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids, are essential for health, child development, and may reduce heart disease risk.

The chemical process of making soap by reacting oils (or fats) with a strong base (like lye).

Describes a substance that repels water.

Describes a substance that attracts water.

Soap molecules have a hydrophobic end (fatty acid) that dissolves grease, and a hydrophilic end (salt) that washes it away with water.

Triglycerides are the main components of fats and oils. In saponification, they are replaced with salt.

Soap made from plant oils, varying in hardness and lather based on the oil source.

Commercial soaps and shampoos often using chemicals like SLES and SLS.

Fuel made from methyl esters of plant oils, a renewable alternative to petroleum diesel.

Chemical process to produce biodiesel from plant oils by exchanging alcohol for glycerol.

Edible oil, rich in polyunsaturated fats like omega 3 and 6, derived from a specific Brassica species.

The process of creating biodiesel from plant oils, influenced by many factors including the plant species, producing from 150-7000+ kgs per hectare.