Economic Plants Final Exam practice

Practice questions for the Economic plants final exam!

What vegetables are bulbs?

A) ginger, licorice

B) onion, garlic, leek

C) Potato, yam, turnips

D) Carrots, parsnips

B) onion, garlic, leek

What are the two broad categories of vegetables?

“root” below-ground crops

“Green” above-ground crops

What are some examples of green, above-ground vegetables?

A) Potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes

B) Water chestnut, taro

C) Cabbage, celery, malt barley

D) Turmeric, celery, carrot

C) Cabbage, celery, malt barley

What is the most important food tuber and why?

The potato because it thrived in the cool summer climate of eastern and northern Europe

What caused the Irish Potato Blight?

Th Irish potato variety was derived from a single cultivar, so it had little genetic variation leaving it susceptible to pests.

Are sweet potatoes yams?

NO

What are the different yams and where are they native to?

• Yellow and white yams, West Africa

• Water yam, Asia

• cush-cush yam, Central America

What is the most commercially important corm?

Taro, grown best in tropical climates

What are the two tropical true roots?

Cassava (tapioca) and Sweet potato

What are the most economically important true roots?

Taproots; large, swollen true roots that are specialized for storing carbohydrates

Examples of taproots?

biennial species like Carrot, parsnip, beets, sugar beets, turnip, rutabaga, radish, daikon

Green vegetables in the Mustard (Brassicaceae) family

The Brassica oleracea species

• Cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi, kale

Green vegetables in the Mustard (Brassicaceae) family

The Brassica rapa species

• Bok choi, Chinese flowering cabbage, celery cabbage

What is the most important crop in the Sunflower (Asteraceae) family?

Lettuce

What plant family is the artichoke in?

the Sunflower (Asteraceae) family

What did King Louis XIV of France develop a liking for?

A) Pickles

B) Pickled olives

C) Pickled peppers

D) Pickled asparagus

D) Pickled asparagus

What is the most important substance in spices?

“essential” volatile oils

What was the original purpose of spices?

• preservative and medicinal benefits

• to hide the smell and/or taste of spoiling food

• improve to palpability of bland dishes

What was the Spice Trade?

importing spices and other products from India, China, and Arabian peninsula

What was the most important spice during the Spice Trade?

Black pepper

What is the mint family called?

Lamiaceae

What spices are in the Mint family?

• Rosemary, woody shrub

• Thyme, low shrub

• Oregano, perennial herb

• Sage, herbaceous perennial

• Basil, annual herb

• Spearmint, herbaceous

• Peppermint, European cultigen

• Summer savory

• Winter savory

What is the binomial name for Cloves?

A) Syzygium aromaticum

B) Carum carvi

C) Cinnamomum verum

D) Petroselinium crispum

A) Syzygium aromaticum

What spices in the carrot (Apiaceae) family are obtained from the leaves?

• Parsley, biennial herb

• Dill, annual plant

• Cilantro, annual species

• Angelica, biennial herb

• Chervil

• Lovage

Cilantro and Coriander come from the same plant, which parts are they sourced from?

• Cilantro: the leaves of the plant

• Coriander: the fruit of the plant

What is the fruit of the carrot family called?

Schizocarp

What spices in the carrot (Apiaceae) family are obtained from the fruit?

• Coriander, Annual species

• Fennel, perennial herb

• Cumin, annual herb

• Anise, annual herb

• Caraway, biennial herb

What spice is closely related to Caraway, has a similar flavor and method of use?

Indian native Ajwain

What are the 3 mustard species?

• Black (brassica nigra) spicy

• Brown (B. juncea) spicy

• White (Sinapsis alba) bitter

What family does the spice Tarragon belong to?

The Sunflower (Asteraceae) family

What is the most expensive spice and why?

Saffron, it takes about 150 flowers to obtain 1 gram of saffron

What are the temperate spices?

• Mustards

• tarragon

• Bay leaf

• Saffron

What are the tropical spices?

• Cinnamon

• Cloves

• Nutmeg and mace

• Black pepper

• Ginger

• Allspice

• Chili or Cayenne peppers

• Vanilla

What makes Allspice unique?

It is one of the few commercially important spices native to the Americas

What are examples of monosaccharides?

Glucose and fructose

What are examples of disaccharides?

Sucrose and maltose

What is table sugar composed of?

Sucrose (glucose + fructose)

What bonds link together to make Starch?

alpha -4 glycosidic bonds

What enzyme breaks down alpha-bonds?

A) Lactase

B) Amylase

C) Sucrase

D) Cellulose

B) Amylase

What bonds link together to make Cellulose?

beta 1-4 glycoside bonds

What is cellulose often referred to as and why?

“Dietary fiber” because beta bonds are much harder for organisms to break down

What range of carbon atoms does Gasoline have?

5-12 carbon atoms

What process can make the breakdown of sugars to obtain Ethanol easier?

anaerobic fermentation by yeasts or other organisms

What measures the efficiency of bioethanol production?

energy balance

What is energy balance?

The ratio of the amount of bioethanol energy produced to the amount of energy required for it’s manufacture

How many carbon atoms does bioethanol have?

A) 5

B) 8

C)12

D) 2

D) 2

What is utilized in United States and Brazil bioethanol factories?

US- Corn starch from corn kernels

Brazil- Sugar Cane

What are the plant sugar sources?

• Sugar Cane, perennial grass

• Sugar Beet

• Corn Syrup

What is the largest source of commercial sugar?

Sugar cane

What tropical palms are sourced for sugar?

• Sugar palm

• Palmyra palm

• Fishtail palm

• Mokola palm

• Sugar maple

Are sweeteners natural or artificial?

Artificial

What sweeteners are in the leaves of Stevia?

stevioside and rebaudioside (20%)

What is the miracle berry known for and where is it native to?

Affecting the tastebuds of food eaten afterwards, Tropical West Africa

Why is stevia non-caloric?

Because it is not absorbed by the gut.

What is biodiesel consisted of?

Methyl esters derived from plant oils

What plant oils are from cool temperate climates?

• Canola

• Sunflower

• Linseed or flax

What plant oils are from warm temperate climates?

• Olive

• Sesame

• Peanut

• Cottonseed

• Corn

• Soybean

• Safflower

Plant oils from tropical climates

• oil palm

• coconut

• Tung

What is Tung oil mostly used for?

As a high-quality drying oil

What is modern wax produced from?

petroleum-based synthetics

Plant waxes

• Carnauba

• Jojoba

• Candelilla

True or false: all the plant waxes are native to Mexico

False, Carnauba is native to Brazil, while Jojoba and Candelilla are native to Mexico

What specialized cells or vessels produces latex in plants?

lactifers

How does latex benefit plants?

Latex protects plants from injury, help deter herbivores, pest, and pathogens.

Plants that produce latex?

• Para (common rubber)

• Guayule

• Gutta-Percha

• Chicle

• Balata

What is the most important latex-producing species?

Para (Common rubber)

What is the Para rubber tree most susceptible to?

fungal leaf blight

What percentage of the 21 tons of rubber produced annually is naturally sourced?

40%

What did Indigenous peoples in South America utilize latex for?

Balls for games, shoes, and clothing

What was the over-exploitation of the Lagos rubber tree in Congo by Belgium called?

“slaughter-tapping”

What does Gutta-percha produce and what plant produces something virtually identical?

Gutta-percha produces non-elastic latex that doesn’t turn brittle when cool, the plant Balata produces gutta-balata which is virtually identical.

How did the Indigenous peoples of South America utilize Chicle latex that became popular in North America?

They used the chicle latex as a chewing gum.

Plant fibres are long, thin strands of what?

A) Sucrose

B) Fructose

C) Cellulose

D) Latex

C) Cellulose

What are the three major methods of fibre extraction?

• Ginning

• Retting

• Decortication

What are the seed fibres?

• Cotton

• Kapok

• Bat or Stem

• Flax

• Hemp

• Ramie

• Kenaf

What is the most important plant fibre and what are the 3 chemical processes?

Cotton

• mercerization: stretching the yarn under pressure and emersion in cold caustic soda

• sanforizing: using ammonia to reduce fabric shrinkage

• permanent pressing: cross-links cotton fibres so that fabrics better retain their shape

What composes the fibres from Kapok?

Cellulose and lignin

What is a close relative of Manila hemp?

A) Banana

B) Lettuce

C) Apple

D) Spinach

A) banana

What is cellulose fibre produced from and an example?

regenerated natural cellulose, example is bamboo fibre sourced from regenerated bamboo stalks

What stimulant is in cocoa?

theobromine

What are some caffeinated beverages?

• Coffee

• Tea

• Cocoa

• Cola

• Mate

• guarana

What are the 3 most important caffeinated beverages?

Coffee, tea, cocoa

What factors contribute to the flavor of coffees?

• variety grown

• growing conditions

• methods of roasting and blending

What coffee is mainly used to produce instant and less expensive coffees?

Robusta coffee

Where was the first recorded use of coffee as a beverage?

A) South-east Asia

B) Africa

C) Arabian peninsula

D) South America

C) Arabian peninsula

Where is tea native to?

Northern India and Southern China

What contributes to the taste of tea?

caffeine, essential oils and various bitter tannins

What is Cola native to?

A) China

B) Mexico

C) Iran

D) Africa

D) Africa

What is the process of fermentation?

anaerobic respiration by fungal yeasts

What grapes are used to produce white wine?

A)Red Grapes

B) White grapes

C) Purple grapes

D) Both A and B

E) Both B and C

D) Both A and B

What is the French classification system of wine based on?

Location and historic reputation

What are the 3 most important wine growing regions in France?

• Bordeaux

• Burgundy

• Champagne

What are Italy’s 3 levels of wine classification?

• Table wine, consumed locally

• DOC

• DOCG

What type of wine is most produced in Germany?

A) Red wine

B) Champagne

C) White wine

D) none

C) White wine

Where is wine production restricted to in Germany?

The valleys of the Rhine River

Wine classification in Germany is mainly based on what?

grape “quality” (sugar content) rather than vineyards location and reputation

What are the 2 most famous wines produced in Spain?

• Gran Reserva

• Sherry

What is the most famous wine produced in Portugal called?

Port

What is the principal starch source of beer production in the world?

Barley malt

What are the steps of the production of beer?

• Germinate

• mash

• wort

• boil the wort with hops fruit

• fermentation

• Filter and age the beer