One intriguing avenue of study lies in the examination of pigmentation and cell sizes within the peel or skin of various fruits, particularly when comparing undamaged and damaged conditions. This microscopic journey unveils the intricate beauty of cellular structures that often go unnoticed in our daily interactions with these fruits. 

My focus is the intricate layout of pigmentation and cell structures within the leaves of a plant and the peel of an apple. I observed a plant leaf and an apple peel in both damaged and undamaged conditions. The damages that I observed are all naturally caused. In this study I did not purposely damage the objects, therefore, the damages may experience oxidization. Due to oxidative damage, many parts of the damaged area turn into a darker shade of brown which sparked my interest in researching the causes or the condition of damaged cell pigmentations. The samples that I have gathered are from the market and the botanical garden at my university. The lettuce leaf was from the garden and I picked out some damaged part of the leaf and the fresh area from the rest of leaf. The apple was selected at the market and I picked out an apple with fresh and damaged skin.


The distinction between health and distress is visually striking. Healthy and fresh cells exude a lively radiance, akin to the glow of a sunlit gem. Under the microscope, their clarity mirrors optimal cellular function. Contrastingly, damaged cells reveal a mosaic of oxidized brown spots, signifying stress and vulnerability. The dark brown spots of oxidation lack cell structure under the microscope and the pigmentation of both the apple peel and lettuce leaf changed from their healthy color of green and red into brown. It was very interesting to observe and learn from my observations of the life cell cycle of plants and leaves.

Unhealthy












Healthy