Grape: Flesh or pulp

The flesh or pulp (pulpe in French) is the bulk of the berry or pericarp. The pulp contains the juice in the vacuoles of pericarp cells. A section across the flesh (see overleaf) shows that there are about 40 large parenchyma cells from beneath the skin to the single cell layer that is the inner lining. A central core of vascular strands connects to a mesh of veins that encircles the outer edge of the flesh like a chicken-wire cage and provides the vascular connection with the rest of the vine; the veins contain the xylem, which transports water and minerals from roots, and phloem, which is the all-important pathway for sugar from the leaves. Another zone with a different texture is the so-called brush, which is the lighter-coloured part of the flesh near the junction with the pedicel.