What is cellulose?
- Cellulose, a straight-chain polysaccharide made up of thousands of β-1,4-linked D-glucose residues, is commonly called the stiffest carbohydrate on Earth because those chains, which are packed side by side, won’t bend or coil.
- This polymer makes up about a third of all plant matter and is the load-bearing scaffold inside almost every plant cell wall. It makes up about 90% of fluffy cotton fibers and half of the dry weight of woody tissue, so it’s pretty much everywhere green.
- Not just plants manufacture it; certain bacteria, some fungi, and even some algae quietly make cellulose as well. This shows that biosynthesis…
