🍐 Ever wondered why pears have such a gritty texture compared to other fruits? ⁠ ⁠ That’s because they possess stone cells, also called sclereids, very shiny structures that look like small rocks.⁠ ⁠ The purpose of stone cells is to support the soft tissues of the pear! These soft tissues are formed by parenchyma cells that look like bubbles and are filled with water and nutrients, which make the pear very juicy. Stone cells are parenchyma cells that have major lignin deposition in their cell walls. Lignin is the main component of wood and is super important for terrestrial plants because it provides structural support, enabling plants to grow upward. Lignin fibers can’t be digested by humans, but can be digested by the microbes present in the digestive tracts of ruminants! So you’re probably not digesting most of the stone cells.⁠ ⁠ Stone cells can be found in small clusters or alone, and their quantity depends on the pear variety.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ 🎥 courtesy of: tardibabe⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #scienc...