A type of plant cell wall carbohydrate that is easier to break down than cellulose and helps provide structural support in plants.
From 'hemi-' (half) + 'cellulose.' Named 'hemi' because it was initially thought to be a simpler, halfway version of cellulose, though it's actually a distinct polymer with different properties.
Hemicelluloses are why wood pellets work so well as fuel—they're the easier-to-burn middle layer between cellulose and lignin, making them the biological sweet spot for energy!
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