A root certificate is an essential part of any type of digital certificate. The root contains the data needed to perform various functions and operations. For example, when a user receives an encrypted file or document from another user, they need the appropriate public or private key to decrypt and open the file or document. The root is the part of the certificate, which is responsible for authenticating and comparing the public key to the private key.
Digital Certificates Would Not Function Correctly without a Root Certificate
Without a root certificate, your digital certificates would not function or perform correctly. The certificate would not know how it was to perform authentication processes. For instance, it may need to access the CA system in order to verify the certificate is valid. However, without this root, it would not know which CA system to connect to, let alone how to determine the validity of the actual certificate.