Answer to Question #187233 in General Chemistry for Riva

Question

How did Australia’s first peoples (aboriginals) remove toxins from foods other than cycads using solubility equilibrium?

Answer 1

While being highly poisonous and carcinogenic, the seeds of the cycad were used as a major food source. The Aboriginal People had devised techniques for extracting the contaminants, allowing the cycad seeds to be a valuable food supply. Multiple groups used various techniques to remove the toxins, but they all came up with the same result: an edible, long-lasting fruit. One technique involves cutting the kernels open and allowing the contaminants to leach out into the water. The kernels were ground into a powder as a flower and backed making cycad bread after the process was completed. Others used a fermentation process, which involved storing the kernels in wide pots, or in some instances pits, for a period. When the seeds have frothed or been moldy, the operation is over.