Maturing reed canarygrass, Russian wildrye, and smooth bromegrass cell walls were analyzed for lignin, phenolic acids, and neutral sugars. Linear correlation between in vitro dry matter digestibility and the p-coumaric acid content was -.86.

The cells of Zymomonas mobilis var. mobilis contained 6.3% of the chloroform–methanol–water extractable lipids (dry weight basis) and 1.5% of bound lipids. The extractable lipids were 96.8% polar lipids and 3.2% neutral lipids. The neutral lipids contained squalene, and 21 pentacyclic triterpene hydrocarbons comprised 1.4% of the total lipids. The remaining neutral lipids consisted of relatively small quantities of components tentatively identified as free fatty acids, tri-, di-, and mono-glycerides, lipoamino compounds, and pigments. The polar lipids consisted of methanol-soluble and -insoluble fractions. The methanol-soluble fraction consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine as the principal lipid and lysophosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, dimethylphosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatide acid as the minor lipids. The methanol-insoluble fraction consisted of glycolipoproteins comprising glucosamine, galactosamine, myristic acid, and amino acids. This glycolipoprotein fraction differed from the material isolated by standard procedures for extracting lipopolysaccharides. The lipopolysaccharide fraction, in turn, was distinctly different from the lipopolysaccharides of other Gram-negative species, since deoxyhexoses, pentoses, hexoses, aminopentose, uronic acid, phosphate, and myristic acid were the principal constitutents. There was no evidence for ketodeoxyoctulonic acid, heptoses, or hydroxy fatty acids. Hexosamines were detected in trace amounts only by colorimetric analysis.

Cell walls, prepared from reed canarygrass, Phalaris arundinacea L., were treated with 72% sulfuric acid followed by dilution to 2 N and hydrolysis for 3 h in a boiling water bath. The hydrolysates were neutralized with concentrated ammonia, reduced, and acetylated with acetic anhydride with Nmethylimidazole as a catalyst. Acetylation was completed in 5 min. Selected hydrolysis times for plant material were 0.5 h with 72% sulfuric acid at 22 "C followed by hydrolysis for 3 h with dilute acid at 95 "C. Plant cell wall delignification prior to acid hydrolysis and the effects of delignification on cell wall carbohydrate and lignin content were examined. Delignification of the NDF residues with hot acid chlorite removed carbohydrate, lignin, and possibly protein. The maximum carbohydrate yields from the hydrolyzed samples were observed for the lignified cell wall preparations. The method is proposed as a means for rapid assessment of plant cell wall carbohydrate for the nutritional evaluation of feeds and forages.

The alcohol insoluble residue (AIR) isolated from 12 foods was acid hydrolyzed and analyzed for neutral and acidic sugars. Aliquots taken at 1 hr were reduced, acetylated and analyzed for neutral sugar content with GLC. Glucose from cellulose, starch and noncellulosic polysaccharides was analyzed with calorimetric methods. The predominant sugars present in the dietary fiber were arabinose, xylose, galactose, glucose and uranic acids. Pectin and hemicellulose together comprised the majority of cell wall polysaccharides. Samples high in starch generally contained the greatest amounts of dietary fiber and the least amount of water on a fresh plant basis.