Cellulose is made up of units of

Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate and a structural polysaccharide that serves as the primary component of plant cell walls [t1][t2]. It is a linear polymer composed exclusively of glucose monomers [t2][t4]. Specifically, cellulose consists of D-glucopyranose ring units linked together by β-1,4-glycosidic bonds [t5][t7]. Unlike starch or glycogen, which also consist of glucose units, the glycosidic bonds in cellulose are in the beta configuration, where every other glucose monomer is flipped over [t2][t4]. This specific arrangement allows cellulose to form rigid, unbranched fibers that provide mechanical robustness and structural integrity to plants [t4][t7]. While humans cannot digest cellulose due to the lack of the enzyme cellulase required to break these β-1,4 linkages, it remains an essential source of dietary fiber [t4][t8].

Sources

1. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459280/
2. [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/cellulose