AFM observation of ultrathin microfibrils in fruit tissues

作者：Niimura Hiroshi; Yokoyama Tomoya; Kimura Satoshi; Matsumoto Yuji; Kuga Shigenori^*

来源：Cellulose, 2010, 17(1): 13-18.

DOI：10.1007/s10570-009-9361-6

• Cellulose microfibril
• AFM
• Height measurement
• Fibril width

Polysaccharide microfibrils in fruit tissue of higher plants (strawberry, peach, and rambutan) were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). For preserving native cellulose microfibrils, a combination of 2% NaClO(2) and 4% NaOH extraction was applied to the materials. This corresponds to mild alkali extractin of holocellulose, and denoted here as weak alkali-resistant polysaccharide, WARP. The amount of neutral sugars corresponded to 53-95% of that of WARP. Glucose was the most abundant in the neutral sugars, being 74-87%. AFM examination of microfibrils dispersed on mica substrate allowed accurate determination of fibril widths as 1.0-2.0 nm. Their straight fibrillar shape and the results of X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy indicate that these fibrils are cellulose. These results constitute direct evidence for existence of ultrafine cellulose microfibrils hitherto assumed from X-ray diffraction and NMR analyses.

• 出版日期2010-2