Fruit & Vegetable Structure Flashcards
What are the 3 structural components of plant structure (micro-level)?
Cell wall
Middle lamella
Plasmaderma
What is the cell wall made of and what is the purpose?
made of cellulose, pectin, hemicellulose, lignins, etc
purpose: contains cell components; structural support (rigid)
Where is the middle lamella located, what is it made of, and what is the purpose?
under cell wall (cell membrane)
rich in pectic substances (pliable)
hold/bind cell together
What is the purpose of the plasmaderma?
communicate with adjoining cells
Another name for the cell membrane is:
plasmalemma
What is the role of the plasmalemma, and what important characteristic allows for this?
membrane around cell, control water, diffusion, osmosis -> maintain TURGIDITY
selective permeability
the vacuole serves as a ______.
It contains: _______________.
The membrane surrounding it is called the _____.
fluid storage
amino acids, various solutes
tonoplast
Components responsible for turgidity:
vacuoles
plasmalemma
All major metabolic activities in the plant cell occur in the _____
cytoplasm (in specialized organelles)
What are some specialized organelles in the cytoplasm of plants?
nucleus (control) endoplasmic reticulum (transport, protein/fat synth) golgi complex (modification/transport, building cell wall)
What is the ribosome?
organelle containing RNA, protein synthesis
What produces energy in the cell?
mitochondria
The 3 plasmid types and their contributions:
chloroplast (photosynthesis)
amyloplast (starch)
chromoplast (color)
The 3 structural components of plant tissue (macro-level)?
dermal system
ground system
vascular system
The dermal system acts as ____ tissue, and facilitates ___ _____. It is located: _____
protective; gas exchange
on outer surface
What protection does the dermal system offer?
moisture loss pathogen/chemicals mechanical injury temperature stress volatiles loss texture loss
Describe epidermal cells:
outermost layer
various sizes/shapes
compacted together
contains lipid-like materials
What is the cuticle?
extracellular layer made from cutin/wax
water impermeable layer
What is cutin made from?
polymerized hydroxycarboxylic acids
What is wax made from?
aliphatic wax alcohol esters or fatty acids
Put in order of increasing wax/cutin content: leafy veg, root veg, fruit
root veg < leafy veg < fruits
What is corky tissue made of? Where is it found?
Made of cork cells which contain SUBERIN (lipid-like material) contains pores (LENTICELS)
in aerial fruits (apples) or underground storage organs of plant
What are stomata and what is their purpose?
tiny pores in epidermal layer (surrounded by guard cells)
gas exchange
In some plants the outer dermal layer has more structural modification, creating a ____
peel
____ and ____ cells act as supporting tissue in the plant.
collenchyma
sclerenchyma
How are collenchyma cells organized?
separate longitudinal strands
uneven thickness
The cell walls of collenchyma cells are rich in ____ and ____, making it unusually ____.
hemicellulose, pectin
pliable
Ground tissue makes up ___% of plant tissue. What are its purposes?
80%
major metabolic activity
edible portion
mechanical support
The most common ground tissue is:
What are the cell characteristics?
parenchymal tissue
undifferentiated cells, large vacuole. various shape/size
_____ cells have uniformly thickened walls. What are other characteristics?
schlerenchymal
usually lignified (woody)
lot of cellulose (60-80%)
very rigid, low pliability (good for impact resistance)
The 2 types of schlerenchymal cells:
Describe them.
Fibres: long/pointed, give fibrous texture (even after cooking), nutritive importance
Scleroids: various shapes, hard structures, scattered clusters, gives grainy texture
The ____ system specializes in transport of materials such as: _______
vascular
water, minerals, organic products
the 2 components of the vascular system and their roles:
xylem: transport water + minerals
phloem: transports organic products (from metabolism/photosynthesis)
Texture can be described in general terms such as ___ or ____, or in more exact terms such as ____ (6)
handfeel; mouthfeel
juiciness, grittiness, crispiness, mealiness, firmness, fibrousness
What contributes to texture of fruit/veg?
type of tissue (physical properties)
distribution/organization of tissue
