hemicellulose

See also: hémicellulose

English

Etymology

From hemi- (“half”) +‎ cellulose.

Noun

hemicellulose (plural hemicelluloses)

1. (biochemistry) A mixture of several plant polysaccharides, of smaller molecular weight than cellulose, that are soluble in dilute alkali; they are involved in the manufacture of paper, and are used in the production of furfural and ethanol.
   • 2004, Harold McGee, chapter 5, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, →ISBN:

     The changes in texture that occur during ripening and cooking result from changes in the cell-wall materials, in particular the cement carbohydrates. One group is the hemicelluloses, which form strengthening cross-links between celluloses. They are built up from glucose and xylose sugars, and can be partly dissolved and removed from cell walls during cooking.

Translations

mixture of polysaccharides

• Estonian: hemitselluloos
• French: hémicellulose (fr) f
• German: Hemicellulose f
• Hungarian: hemicellulóz (hu)
• Italian: emicellulosa (it) f
• Polish: hemiceluloza (pl) f
• Spanish: hemicelulosa f

Further reading

• hemicellulose on Wikipedia.Wikipedia