The cell wall is an organelle only present in plant cells. It encloses the whole cell and surrounds the cell membrane. It is made up of lots of cross-linked cellulose fibres, which make it tough and strong.
Cellulose is a giant sugar polymer made up of long chains of smaller sugars. In the cell wall, thousands of cellulose molecules band together to form microfibrils. These also bunch together, forming much thicker fibrils. The whole structure is a little bit like fibreglass, but it is completely natural.
Some animals, like cows and sheep, can digest cellulose, which is why one of their main foods is grass. They have to chew it twice though, and pass it through several digestive stages. Humans cannot digest cellulose very well and the plant cell walls of vegetables forms the fibre that is so good for the digestive system. We can't take too much though as our digestive system doesn't have the same modifications as the cow ~ the high cellulose content of grass makes it completely indigestible and dangerous for human consumption.
Cellulose is a giant sugar polymer made up of long chains of smaller sugars. In the cell wall, thousands of cellulose molecules band together to form microfibrils. These also bunch together, forming much thicker fibrils. The whole structure is a little bit like fibreglass, but it is completely natural.
Some animals, like cows and sheep, can digest cellulose, which is why one of their main foods is grass. They have to chew it twice though, and pass it through several digestive stages. Humans cannot digest cellulose very well and the plant cell walls of vegetables forms the fibre that is so good for the digestive system. We can't take too much though as our digestive system doesn't have the same modifications as the cow ~ the high cellulose content of grass makes it completely indigestible and dangerous for human consumption.
