ABSTRACT
The cell walls that make up the Dietary Fiber content of the diet are derived from the wide range of plant organs that provide the fruits and vegetables, and cereals, found in the diet. In order to carry out chemical analysis of the cell wall to determine its constitution, it is first necessary to obtain pure cell wall material free from contamination with intracellular compounds. X-ray diffraction studies have shown that the cellulose molecules form a crystalline structure in the microfibril. However, a significant proportion of the cellulose in the plant cell wall is present in an amorphous noncrystalline form. The possible structural role of cell wall glycoproteins depends on the formation of crosslinks with other cell wall polymers. The cell walls of tissues that are rich in ferulic acid exhibit autofluorescence. This is especially true for sugar beet, red beet, and spinach suspension culture cells.
