University:
Amherst College
Course:
BIOL 104 | Food, Fiber, and Pharmaceuticals
Academic year:

2021
Views:

299

Pages:

10
Author:

Reese Pittman

Fiber What plants did you see this weekend or read about that humans use for fiber? What part of the plant is used? What is a plant fiber? Composed of cellulose--glucose molecules attached in a specific way Similar to starch, but unlike starch it can only be broken into sugar with specific enzyme cellulase, which only a few organisms make (bacteria, gut flora) Animal fiber made of protein – denatures at high temperatures – Plant fiber – not a problem – How does this affect the way you do laundry? Seed & fruit fibers: surface fibers such as seed hairs Bast or soft fibers: bunches of phloem found in stems Leaf or hard fibers: composed of xylem and phloem from leaf Use of fiber affected by length and structure, elasticity Common process to extract fiber from plant Retting – decomposition of soft plant parts by bacteria used for many soft fibers (usually stems) Decortication – unwanted tissues scraped way used for hard fibers (usually leaves) Ginning – Surface fibers separated mechanically from plant material Seed & fruit fibers Cotton (Gossypium sp.; Malvaceae) Kapok (Ceiba pentandra; Malvaceae) Function of fibers on seeds? Seed & fruit fibers Cotton (Gossypium sp.; Malvaceae) Kapok (Ceiba pentandra; Malvaceae) Function of fibers on seeds? – Facilitate wind dispersal Seed & fruit fibers Cotton (Gossypium sp.; Malvaceae) Kapok (Ceiba pentandra; Malvaceae) Function of fibers on seeds? – Facilitate wind dispersal Coconut (Cocos nucifera; Arecaceae) Function of fibers on fruit? – Protect seed, facilitate water dispersal, buoyancy Most seed fibers too short or too slippery to be spun together except for cotton Kapok: Stuffing material; was used in life preservers as the fibers are water-resistant and trap air Most seed fibers too short or too slippery to be spun together except for cotton Kapok: Stuffing material; was used in life preservers as the fibers are water-resistant and trap air Coconut: only fruit from which fiber (coir) is extracted; ropes and doormats Cotton (Gossypium sp.; Malvaceae) • Most important non-food commodity and also important as oil seed (cottonseed oil) • Species domesticated separately in Old and New World • Easy to process and high amount of fiber per plant • Dyes well and holds up to repeated washing • Each fiber is a single long seed coat cell • Cotton gin removes seeds from fibers • Fibers spun into thread • Bt cotton available

What is a Plant Fiber Part 1

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