Root processes fermentation

The chemical changes that take place in detached fruit are directly, or indirectly, related to the oxidative and fermentative activities collectively referred to as biological oxidations. Once the fruit is harvested, respiration, the process concerned with the oxidation of predominantly organic substances by the cell, assumes the dominant role, and the fruit no longer depends on absorption of water and minerals by the root, on conduction by vascular tissues, and on the photosynthetic activity of the leaves. After harvest, the fruit lives an independent life by utilizing substrates accumulated during maturation.385... 

Industrial catalysis, based on man-made catalysts, developed its own history which is briefly summarised in Section 1.2. The roots of biocatalysis and biocat-alytic processes are completely different, notwithstanding the early recognition that fermentation processes are in essence of a catalytic nature. The relationship between biocatalysis and organic chemistry is close. It is really quite recently that biocatalysis and man-made catalysis have become part of the same context. This is mainly the result of increasing interest in catalytic applications to fine chemicals. 

Over the years, through trial and error, cassava eaters have identified a variety of processes that render the tuber safe. South American native peoples who spat bitter-tasting cassava back into their food bowls and then sampled it again later discovered that the bitterness had vanished. That s because salivary enzymes can also cause linamarin to break down, liberating hydrogen cyanide, which then escapes into the air. In Africa, the traditional method of detoxifying cassava is to pile cassava roots and allow them to ferment in the sun for about seven days. This also releases the enzyme needed to degrade linamarin. 

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