Architecture, Structure and Chemistry of Plant Cell Walls and Their Constituents

Fiber is the most abundant component of plants and thus the single most important organic compound in the planet. Most of its components are associated to plant cell walls, which possess especially intricate arrangements mainly designed to impart skeletal structure. These fiber components associated to fruits, horticultural crops and grains (cereals, pulses, oilseeds) are the major contributor of dietary fiber (DF). The plant cell wall is a complex macromolecular structure that surrounds and protects plants for their survival against pathogens, insects and herbivores. Furthermore, the cell wall is highly associated to the functionality of important plant tissues such as xylem and phloem. These functional structures enable plants to flourish in diverse environmental niches (Caffal and Mohnen, Carbohydr Res 344(14):1879–1900, 2009).