Thursday, January 22, 2015

Save the world: Tapioca, from Plant to Plates


Manihot esculenta, with common names cassava (/kəˈsɑːvə/), Brazilian arrowroot, ... Like other roots and tubers, both bitter and sweet varieties of cassava ...

It must be properly prepared before consumption. Improper preparation of cassava can leave enough residual cyanide to cause acute cyanide intoxication and goiters, and may even cause ataxia or partial paralysis.[8]  wiki 

 I am keen in zero waste, and my first encounter with using a plant based raw material was the potato plates and cutlery. My friend Ngarimu brought them in one of the Waitangi day festivals.

I am also interested in the tapioca plant where I heard could killed if planted upside down, for my research for my pending book. So glad that recently I made the friendship of James Chew and Lim Kok Keong who have scientific knowledge to debunk the myth of this upside down tapioca.

In the process of asking Kok Keong about this myth, I found I came to the right person, he has the technical expertise of making containers for food from tapioca. 
Chart: courtesy Lim Kok Keong

I am also very proud my home town Sibu and adopted home town Sarikei. They had banned the use of poly-styrene. Some people in Sibu actually bring their own containers to buy takeaway food. The council actually goes to spot check and make sure food vendors do not use poly-styrene. What is an extra 20 sens to pay to save the world.

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/





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