Skip to content

Cuticle fragment

Definition

A portion of the waxy cuticle layer from a leaf, stem, or fruit surface. Cuticle resists gastric acid and physical digestion and retains identifiable epidermal cell patterns, stomatal complexes, and trichome bases even after hours in the stomach or intestine.

Related terms

Gastric emptying time
The time required for food to move from the stomach into the duodenum. Liquid empties in 1-2 hours; a solid mixed meal...
Ingested pollen
Pollen consumed via honey, herbal preparations, strongly flavoured teas, or pollen-rich foods. Pollen grains resist gastric digestion and are recovered from stomach...
Sclerenchyma
A plant tissue composed of thick-walled, lignified cells including fibres and stone cells (sclereids). Sclerenchyma cells are physically resistant to digestion and...
Starch grain
A storage carbohydrate granule produced by plants. Each major food plant species produces starch grains with a characteristic size, shape, and hilum...
Testa fragment
A portion of the seed coat. Testa fragments from food seeds (sesame, tomato, raspberry, fig, and so on) retain species-diagnostic surface sculptures...

Explained in

Your journey to becoming a forensic professional starts here.

Practice with mock tests, learn from structured notes, and get your questions answered by a global forensic community, all in one place.