Retting
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{{Unreferenced|date=October 2007}}
[[Image: Retting.gif|thumb|Retting of Jute Stalk.]]
'''Retting''' is a stage in the manufacturing of [[fiber crop|vegetable fibers]], especially the [[bast fiber]]s. It is a process that employs water and microbial action to separate the bast fibers from the woody core (the [[xylem]]), and sometimes from the [[Epidermis (botany)|epidermis]] as well.
In "water retting", plant stems such as [[flax]], [[jute]], [[hemp]] or [[kenaf]] are submerged in [[water]], and soaked for a period of time to loosen the fibers from the other components of the stem. Retting can also be done by letting the cut crop stand in the fields in the wet [[Fall]], called "dew retting". In either approach, [[bacterium|bacterial]] action attacks [[pectin]] and [[lignin]], freeing the [[cellulose]] fibres. The stems must be monitored during retting to avoid excessive degradation of the fibres, making it a very labor-intensive process.
Once retting is complete, the stems are then removed and washed, where they are typically subjected to mechanical processing to remove the soft tissue and then dried so that all that remains are the [[fibre]]s.
See also: [[Jute cultivation]]
[[Category:Manufacturing]]
[[Category:Fiber plants]]
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[[de:Rösten (Faserpflanzen)]]
[[fr:rouissage]]