Fields of interest:

• Biology of structure/texture, factors/mechanisms involved.
• Texture/rheology from viewpoints of structure and composition [mainly cell wall chemistry and biochemistry (pectin, cellulose, neutral sugars) and proteins] and their functional behavior.
• Apoplast strength, cell wall swelling and intercellular adhesion.
• Response of apoplast texture to simulated and prevailed environmental impacts.
• Proteins and polysaccharides (cell wall & starch) in relation to coagulation/ flocculation involved either in tissue structure/texture or in colloidal/cloud stability.
• Freezing injury of plant tissues and freezing concentration.
• Anatomy, light/electron microscopy of plant tissues, cells and their compartments.
• Structure and texture of fruit and vegetables briefly potatoes, tomatoes, citrus, dates, corn, wheat (flour protein), legumes.

Selected publications

Shomer, I. 1981.The natural retaining mechanism of compactly packed juice-sacs as a peeled citrus segment. Bot. Gaz. 142: 482-489.

Shomer, I., Lindner, P., Ben-Gera, I. and Vasiliver, R. 1981. Ultrastructure of denaturated potato proteins. J. Sci. Food Agric. 33: 565-575.

Shomer, I., Lindner, P. and Vasiliver, R. 1984. The mechanism which enables the cell-wall to retain homogeneous appearance of tomato juice. J. Food Sci. 49: 628-633.

Greer, C.W., Shomer, I., Goldstein, M.E. and Yaphe, W. 1984. Analysis of carrageenan from Hypnea musciformis using ?- and ?- carrageenans and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Carbohydrate Res. 129: 189-196.

Shomer, I. and Merin, U. 1984. Recovery of citrus cloud from aqueous peel extract by microfiltration. J. Food Sci. 49: 991-994.

Shomer, I., Lindner, P., Vasiliver, R. and Merin, U. 1985.  Colloidal fractions of citrus fruit aqueous peel extract. Lebensm. -Wiss. u.-Technol. 18: 357-365.

Shomer, I. 1986. Mechanism of structural freezing injury in citrus fruit segments. Bot. Gaz. 147: 55-64.

Shomer, I. 1988. Protein self-encapsulation: a mechanism involved with colloidal flocculation in citrus fruit extracts.  J. Sci. Food Agric. 42: 55-66.

Shomer, I., Chalutz, E., Vasiliver, R., Lomaniec, E. and Berman, M. 1989. Sclerification of juice sacs in pummelo (Citrus grandis L.) fruit. Can. J. Bot. 67: 625-632.

Shomer, I. and Erner, Y. 1989. The nature of oleocellosis in citrus fruits. Bot. Gaz. 150: 281-288.

Shomer, I., Frenkel, H. and Polinger, C. 1990. The existence of a diffuse electric double layer at cellulose fibril surfaces and its role in the swelling mechanism of parenchyma plant cell-walls. Carbohydrate Polymers 16: 199-210.

Madar, Z. and Shomer, I. 1990. The polysaccharides composition of a gel fraction derived from fenugreek and its effects on starch digestion and bile acids adsorption in rats. J. Agric. Food Chem. 38: 1535-1539.

Shomer, I., Paster, N., Lindner, R. and Vasiliver, R. 1990.The role of cell-wall structure in the hard-to-cook phenomenon in beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Food Structure 9: 139-149.

Shomer, I. 1991. Protein coagulation cloud in citrus fruit extract. 1. Formation of coagulates and their bound pectin and neutral sugars. J. Agric. Food Chem. 39: 2263-2266.

Shomer, I., Vasiliver, R. and Salomon, R. 1991.Protein coagulation cloud in citrus fruit extract. 2. Structural characterization of coagulates. J. Agric. Food Chem. 39: 2267-2273.

Shomer, I., Rao, A., Bourne, M.C. and Levy, D. 1993. Influence of temperature and cellulase treatments on rheological behavior of potato tuber cell suspensions. J. Sci. Food Agric. 63: 245-250

Shomer, I. 1995. Swelling behavior of boiled potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber cells I. Starch leakage and structure of single cells. Carbohydrate Polymers 26: 47-54.

Shomer, I., Vasiliver, R. and Lindner, P. 1995.Swelling behaviour of boiled potato (Solanum tuberosum  L.) tuber cells II: Permeability and swelling of macerate. Carbohydrate Polymers 26: 55-59.

Shomer, I., Lookhart, G., Salomon, R., Vasiliver, R. and Bean, S. 1995. Heat coagulation of wheat flour albumins and globulins, their structure and temperature fractionation. J. Cereal Sci. 22: 237-249.

Shomer, I. 1996. Biosynthesis location and accumulation organs of essential oil in citrus fruit". An opening lecture Sci. Prog. Proceedings Int. Conf. Aromas and Essential oils. Tel Aviv, Israel.

Erner, Y. and Shomer, I. 1996. Morphology and anatomy of stems and pedicels of spring flush shoots associated with citrus fruit set. Ann. Bot. 79: 537-545

Shomer I., Lookhart, G., Vasiliver, R. and Bean, S. 1997. Ultrastructure of consecutively extracted and flocculated gliadins and glutenins. J. Cereal Sci. 27: 27-36.

Shomer, I., Neori, H., Lutski, B and Merin, U. 1998. Morphological, structural and membranal alterations in frozen tissues of Medjhoul date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruits. Postharvest Biol. Technol. 14: 207-215.

Shomer, I., Yefremov, T. and Merin U. 1999. Involvement of proteins in cloud instability of Shamouti orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] juice. J. Agric. Food Chem. 47: 2623-2631.

Kaaber, L., Bråthen, E., Martinsen, B. K. and  Shomer, I. 2000. The effect of storage conditions on the texture of cooked potatoes and chemical content. Potato Res. 44: 153-164.

Kaaber, L., Martinsen, B. K., Bråthen, E., and  Shomer, I. 2002. Browning Inhibition and Textural Changes of Pre-Peeled Potatoes Caused by Anaerobic Conditions. Lebensm.-Wiss. u-Technol. 35: 526-531.

Lurie, S., Zhou, H-W., Lers, A., Sonego, L., Alexandrov , S. and Shomer, I. 2003. Study of pectin esterase and changes in pectin methylation during normal and abnormal peach ripening. Physioloia Plantarum 119: 287-294.

Shomer, I., Novacky, A., Pike, S., Yermiyahu, U. and Kinraide, T. 2003. Electrical potential of plant cell walls in response to the ionic environment. Plant Physiol. 133: 411-422.

Shomer, I. and Kaaber, L. 2006. Intercellular adhesion strengthening as studied through simulated stress by organic acid molecules in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber parenchyma. Biomacromolecules 7: 2971-2982.

Yu, B., Vengadesan, G., Wang, H., Jashi, L., Yefremov, T., Tian S., Gaba,. V., Shomer I., and Stark, R. E. 2006 .Magic-Angle Spinning NMR Studies of cell wall bound aromatic-aliphatic biopolyesters associated with strengthening of intercellular adhesion in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber parenchyma. Biomacromolecules 7: 937-944.