Scanning Electron Microscopy of Cellular Structure of Granny Smith and Red Delicious Apples

Authors

Gassinee Trakoontivakorn
Max E. Patterson
Barry G. Swanson

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Immature and mature Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples (Malus domestica Borkh . ) were studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Parenchyma cells were observed to form a net-like pattern in sections transverse to the stem-calyx of the apple. Bundles of about six intact cells were connected, creating large intercellular spaces. The intercellular spaces were different in shape from different perspectives to the cut surfaces ; round in stem-calyx transverse sections and elliptical in stem-calyx cross sections. Cell areas, cell lengths and intercellular space areas were determined with image analysis. The patterns of mature apple cell structure of both cultivars were observed to be similar to the patterns of immature apple cell structure. Both cell area and intercellular space area were larger in mature than in immature apples. Cells of mature apples were longer and more elliptical than cells of immature apples. The patterns of intercellular space area and cell length in Granny Smith and Red Delicious apple cultivars were not the same.

Recommended Citation

Trakoontivakorn, Gassinee; Patterson, Max E.; and Swanson, Barry G. (1988) "Scanning Electron Microscopy of Cellular Structure of Granny Smith and Red Delicious Apples," Food Structure: Vol. 7: No. 2, Article 11.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/foodmicrostructure/vol7/iss2/11