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A distinct, gelatinous glycocalyx is called a capsule, whereas an irregular, diffuse layer is called a slime layer. This coat is extremely hydrated and stains with ruthenium red. Bacteria growing in natural ecosystems, such as in soil, bovine intestines, or the human urinary tract, are surrounded by some sort of glycocalyx-enclosed microcolony ...
Mucilage is a thick gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion, with the direction of their movement always opposite to that of the secretion of mucilage. [1] It is a polar glycoprotein and an exopolysaccharide.
In humans, osmolytes are of particular importance in the renal medulla. [8] Osmolytes are present in the cells of fish, and function to protect the cells from water pressure. As the osmolyte concentration in fish cells scales linearly with pressure and therefore depth, osmolytes have been used to calculate the maximum depth where a fish can ...
Psyllium husk after processing Plantago afra, a member of the plant genus from which psyllium can be derived. Psyllium (/ ˈ s ɪ l i əm /), or ispaghula (/ ˌ ɪ s p ə ˈ ɡ uː l ə /), is the common name used for several members of the plant genus Plantago whose seeds are used commercially for the production of mucilage.
A glycocalyx surface coat contains digestive enzymes. Microvilli on the apical surface increase its surface area. This facilitates transport of numerous small molecules into the enterocyte from the intestinal lumen. These include broken down proteins, fats, and sugars, as well as water, electrolytes, vitamins, and bile salts.
Exopolysaccharides are widely used in the food industry as thickeners and gelling additives, which improve food quality and texture. [12] Currently, exopolysaccharides have received much attention for their antibacterial, anti-oxidative, and anticancer properties, which lead to the development of promising pharmaceutical candidates.
Social sciences including anthropology, ethnography, and archaeology have long investigated human interactions with living things. Anthropology and ethnography have traditionally studied these interactions in two opposed ways: as physical resources that humans used; [3] and as symbols or concepts through totemism and animism. [5]
As a term, phytochemicals is generally used to describe plant compounds that are under research with unestablished effects on health, and are not essential nutrients. Regulatory agencies governing food labeling in Europe and the United States have provided guidance for industry to limit or prevent health claims about phytochemicals on food ...