BIOL 3P43 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Beet Pulp, Short-Chain Fatty Acid, Hemicellulose

• School: Brock University
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BIOL 3P43
• Professor: Bidochka

Document Summary

Water, and vast major is the structural material. Hemicelluloses branching macromolecule constructed of 5- and 6-carbon sugars, generally insoluble in ph 7 water limit the stretchiness of the cell wall by linking adjacent microfibrils and preventing them from sliding against each other for unlimited distances. Adds structural integrity classified on the basis of their component sugars: xylose, mannose, and galactose form the hemicellulose backbone; arabinose, glucuronic acid, and galactose form the side chains. The latter confer different chemical characteristics on the hemicellulose: digestibility/fermentability of the hemicelluloses (by intestinal microflora) is also influenced by the particular sugars and their positions. For example, hexose and uronic acid are more readily recognized by bacterial enzymes than the other hemicellulose sugars, so hemicelluloses containing them are more easily broken down by bacteria. Which explains why hemicellulose-rich foods such as wheat bran and whole grains do what they do.