That goal has led her to investigate the keeping qualities, and in particular the textures, of commercially grown potatoes, peppers, celery and carrots. People want to shop for local food in outdoor markets. Heat degrades food quality and having to keep produce constantly refrigerated uses energy and money. I wondered if there was anything we could to help maintain its quality. Unlocking the secret of keeping produce fresh is a matter of biochemistry.
Cellulose gives structure to the cell wall.
And a sturdy wall will help preserve the crisp texture of fresh produce. But creating plants with more cellulose is not necessarily the answer, Sloan says, because the resulting hardness could be unpalatable, especially in such products as strawberries. Sloan has redirected her attention to another possible solution to keeping quality texture in produce. She is investigating the chemical structure of the plant cell membrane. Made up of proteins and fatty acids, the membrane regulates water in the cell.