A new strategy to improve osseointegration of implants is to stimulate adhesion of bone cells, bone matrix formation, and mineralization at the implant surface by modifying surface coating on the nanoscale level. Plant-derived pectins have been proposed as potential candidates for surface nanocoating of orthopedic and dental titanium implants due to 1) their osteogenic stimulation of osteoblast...

BACKGROUND Wood cell walls are rich in cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Hence, they are important sources of renewable biomass for producing energy and green chemicals. However, extracting desired constituents from wood efficiently poses significant challenges because these polymers are highly cross-linked in cell walls and are not easily accessible to enzymes and chemicals. RESULTS We sh...

BACKGROUND Intraspecific variations in biomass composition are likely to influence their suitability for biorefining. This may be particularly important in species such as Brassica napus, which contain many different crop types bred for different purposes. Here, straw derived from 17 B. napus cultivars, of varying crop types, were steam exploded, saccharified and fermented to establish differen...

This study focuses on the analysis of polysaccharide residues from the cell walls of fruits and vegetables: tomato, potato, pumpkin, carrot and celery root. An alcohol-insoluble residue was prepared from plant material by extraction using the hot ethyl alcohol method and then cell wall fractions soluble in trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate, sodium carbonate and alkaline soluti...

Fruit softening is an important part of the ripening process, and involves changes to cell turgor and primary cell wall structure. Most of the polysaccharide components of the cell wall are subjected to some degree of controlled degradation, resulting in a loosening and swelling of the wall structure, a weakening of cell wall strength, and reduced intercellular adhesion. Early ripening changes ...

Pectins are essential components of primary plant cell walls and middle lamellae, and are related to the consistency of the fruit and its textural changes during ripening. In fact, strawberries become soft as the middle lamellae of cortical parenchyma cells are extensively degraded during ripening, leading to the observed short post-harvest shelf life. Using a custom-made oligonucleotide-based ...

Pectin methylesterases catalyse the demethylesterification of cell wall polygalacturonans. In dicot plants, these ubiquitous cell wall enzymes are involved in important developmental processes including cellular adhesion and stem elongation. Here, I highlight recent studies that challenge the accepted views of the mechanism and function of pectin methylesterases, including the co-secretion of p...

It is well-known that an irreversible decrease in serum viscosity occurs when tomato juice is concentrated by evaporation into paste. Several studies have suggested that the loss in serum viscosity is due to pectin depolymerization, caused by the high temperatures used during industrial tomato paste production. This study demonstrates that conformational changes in pectin may play a more import...

This work aims to fill gaps in the present knowledge of the structures of wood polysaccharides of potential importance in mechanical and chemical pulping. The detailed structures of the polysaccharide components from wood that dissolve during mechanical pulping were determined. The structures of polysaccharide components linked to residual lignin in chemical pulp were also determined. Methylati...