Jicama: History and Utilization

The plant family of the jicama, Pachyrhizus erosus

Herbaceous herb, perennial plant that lives over two years, often dormant in winter.

Details about where the jicama was first cultivated

Two specific areas where the jicama is widely used and cultivated.

Steps are harvesting, peeling, and cutting the root for use in cooking/preparation.

Jatropha curcas belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, known for its diverse species, including rubber trees and cassava.

Jatropha curcas is a woody, perennial shrub or small tree, meaning it has a persistent woody stem and can live for multiple years.

Jatropha curcas originates in Central America and Mexico, and is now widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions.

Jatropha curcas is primarily grown for its oil-rich seeds, which are used for biodiesel production and other industrial applications.

Jatropha oil extraction involves several steps: harvesting the seeds, drying them, crushing them, pressing them to extract the oil, filtering impurities, and potentially refining the oil.

The potato belongs to the Solanaceae family, which also includes tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.

A true root is a plant part that absorbs water and nutrients, while a root crop is any edible plant part harvested below ground, including true roots and underground stems.

Taproots are large, swollen true roots that store carbohydrates. They are the main type of true root found in most root crops.

Potatoes are propagated vegetatively through their 'eyes', which are buds that can grow into new plants.

Examples of underground stems used as food include bulbs (onions, garlic), rhizomes (ginger, licorice), tubers (potatoes, yams), and corms (water chestnuts, taro).

Potato blight, caused by a fungal water mold, devastated potato crops in the mid-1800s, leading to widespread famine and emigration.

Yams are important carbohydrate sources, particularly in tropical regions, providing a staple food.

The Daffodil (Amaryllidaceae) family includes many important food bulbs, such as onions, garlic, shallots, chives, and leeks. It also includes ornamental plants like daffodils and tulips.

Taro, a type of corm, must be cooked to remove harmful calcium oxalate crystals before consumption.

The pungent flavor of onions and their relatives comes from volatile sulfur compounds, particularly alllicin, which are present in the plant cells.

Spices are parts of plants, like fruits, seeds, or roots, used in cooking to add flavor and aroma. These flavors come from special chemicals called terpenoids.

Volatile oils are chemical compounds in spices that easily evaporate into the air, giving off their aroma. They are released when you crush or cook the plant.

Historically, spices were used to preserve food, preventing it from spoiling. The strong flavors and chemicals in spices helped to mask the smell and taste of aging food.

The Spice Trade, a historical network of trading exotic spices and goods between the East and Europe, fueled economic growth and cultural exchange.

Venetian merchants were central to the Spice Trade, controlling the distribution of spices from Asia to Europe. Their wealth and power led to a flourishing cultural scene in Venice.

Profiteering and unreliable supply made spice trade routes dangerous. Crossing large deserts with camels and horses was also challenging.

Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route around Africa in 1499, providing an alternative to overland spice trade routes.

The Mint family includes herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano, used as spices in cooking.

Rosemary is a woody shrub with pungent leaves used for cooking and essential oils.

Thyme's tiny leaves are used in dishes like soups, stews, sauces, and meat dishes.

Simple sugars, the most basic building blocks of carbohydrates, like glucose and fructose.

A sugar composed of two monosaccharides linked together by a glycosidic bond, like sucrose (glucose + fructose).

A polysaccharide made of many glucose units linked by alpha (α) 1-4 glycosidic bonds, found in plants like seeds and storage organs.

A polysaccharide made of many glucose units like starch but with beta (β) 1-4 glycosidic bonds, making it difficult to digest.

A sustainable biofuel produced from plants, primarily sugar, through fermentation.

A measurement of the efficiency of bioethanol production, calculated by dividing the energy produced by the energy used to manufacture it.

The ability to produce bioethanol with a high energy balance, meaning more energy is obtained than used in the process.

Sugarcane is a highly efficient source of bioethanol due to its high sugar content and ability to utilize residues for energy production.

Technology that converts cellulose, a complex plant material, into sugar, enabling the production of bioethanol from plant sources like switchgrass.

A historical trade network involving Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, where enslaved Africans were forced to produce sugar that was shipped to Europe.

Plant oils are molecules called triglycerides, made up of three fatty acids attached to glycerol. They're found in seeds and fruits, and can be liquid (oils) or solid (fats) at room temperature.

Saturated fats have no double bonds in their fatty acid chains, meaning they're 'saturated' with hydrogen. Unsaturated fats have one or more double bonds, making them less saturated.

Hydrogenation forces hydrogen atoms into unsaturated fats, turning them into saturated fats. It increases shelf life but creates trans fats.

Cis fats have hydrogen atoms on the same side of the double bond, creating a bend. Trans fats have hydrogen atoms on opposite sides, making a straight chain.

Drying oils are highly unsaturated plant oils that harden when exposed to air, used in paints, varnishes, and lubricants.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from plant oils, primarily consisting of methyl esters. It's an alternative to petroleum-based diesel, offering lower life cycle emissions.

Transesterification is the chemical process used to create biodiesel. It involves separating fatty acids from glycerol in plant oils and replacing them with alcohol.

Biodiesel offers several advantages over petroleum-based diesel, including lower life cycle emissions, renewable energy source, and high energy balance.

Biodiesel has some drawbacks, including slightly higher nitric oxide emissions, viscosity problems in cold weather, and varying production efficiency depending on the plant oil source.

Canola oil is a versatile oil extracted from canola seeds, a hybrid of turnip and cabbage. It's low in erucic acid and rich in healthy oils like omega 3 and 6.

Unsaturated fats with a straight chain structure due to hydrogen atoms being on opposite sides of the double bond. They are not naturally occurring in plants, but are created through a process called hydrogenation.

Unsaturated fats with a bent chain structure because hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bond. These are the naturally occurring form in plant oils.

A chemical reaction where triglycerides (fats and oils) are broken down by a strong base (like lye) into fatty acids and glycerol, producing soap.

Hydrophobic means 'water-fearing' and refers to substances that don't mix with water (like oil). Hydrophilic means 'water-loving' and refers to substances that readily dissolve in water.

Soap molecules have two distinct ends: a hydrophobic (water-insoluble) fatty acid end and a hydrophilic (water-soluble) salt end. This allows soap to attract both grease and water, making it effective for cleaning.

A milky fluid produced by plants, primarily composed of polyterpenes (like polyisoprene) in water, along with other minor components such as proteins, alkaloids, resins, and gums.

A process that stabilizes rubber by cross-linking isoprene polymers with disulfide bonds (sulfide), making it harder, more durable, elastic, and less thermoplastic.

Rubber stores strain energy both electrostatically (like a spring) and thermally (causing it to cool as it contracts).

The most important latex-producing plant, native to the Amazon rainforest, whose latex is used to make tires and other products.

Specialized cells in plants that produce latex.

A naturally occurring polymer extracted from rubber trees, known for its elasticity and resilience.

The ability of a material to absorb and release energy, especially in relation to its deformation.

Indigenous people who historically collected latex from wild rubber trees in the Amazon rainforest.

A city in the Amazon region, famous for its rubber boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Natural rubber is extracted from rubber trees, while synthetic rubber is made from petroleum monomers. Synthetic rubber is often used as a substitute for natural rubber but is generally inferior and non-renewable.

Long strands of cellulose, gathered from individual or groups of plant cells, used to make things like cloth, canvas, and ropes.

Mechanical process to separate cotton fibers from seeds using a cotton gin.

Bacterial rotting process used to extract bast fibers from plant stems. It relies on decomposing the plant material to isolate the stronger fibers.

Mechanical process to extract hard leaf fibers and some bast fibers by crushing and scraping away non-fibrous material.

The most important plant seed fiber, used to make clothing and other textiles. Most grown today is Gossypium hirsutum, a species native to Central America.

A single cotton fiber is a long, slender cell from the seed's epidermis. It's mainly cellulose and water, with small amounts of waxes, pectins, and salts.

A cotton gin separates the cotton fibers from the seeds using specialized spikes and rollers to beat and clean the fibers.

After cleaning, the cotton fibers are combed and aligned to form a loose thread called a 'sliver'. This sliver is then stretched and twisted to create cotton yarn.

Kapok fibers come from the seeds of the kapok tree, a large, fast-growing tree native to northern South America.

Kapok fibers are made of cellulose and lignin, making them light and resilient.