The homogenisation of purified cells from OFI skins, after several passages through the Manton Gaulin apparatus, induced a complete disruption of parenchyma and collenchyma cell-ghosts and the release of the cellulose microfibrils in the medium. This is illustrated in the low dose TEM image shown in Fig. 2C and D, obtained after negative staining with uranyl acetate, revealed cellulose microfibrils, individual or associated into bundles. These microfibrils are no more than 2 to 5 nm in diameter and a few microns in length. The bundles consisted of a loose parallel arrangement of microfibrils ranging in size from only a few elements. No changes were observed, either in the sugar composition or in the molecular weight, as shown in Table 2. Glucose was the main sugar detected with a degree of polymerisation between 850 and 830.