unlocking certainly seems to be a key consideration. if the ions were not locked up or protected in various ways, they wouldn't be around very long to be consumed... in other words, the plant seed would never make it to maturity, something would comsume it somewhere along the way. likewise, after fully unlocking the ions, in not consumed immediately, storing and protecting are necessary, until ready for use. to maximize available energy, we would assume that all 'locking mechanisms' be removed at time of consumption (or perserved in some way for future consumption).