Table 1.
Summary of the degree of ultrastructural preservation and resolution of cellular substructures by ChF, PF and HPF
| Cellular Substructure | Ultrastructure preservation and resolution | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChF | PF | HPF | ||
| LR white | Epon | Epon | Epon | |
| Cell Wall | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Plasma membrane | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Golgi complex | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Mitochondria | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Endoplasmic reticulum | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Ribosomes | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacuole | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Vacuole integration | na | na | 4 | 5 |
| Vesicles | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Lipid droplets | na | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Starch granules | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Microtubules | na | na | na | 5 |
| Sperm cells | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Nucleus | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Callose Plugs | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Cytoplasmic organization | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Ice crystals damages | na | na | 3 | 1 |
The quality of the ultrastructure is rated on a 5 point bases as follows: 1) ultrastructural features unresolvable, the substructure is barely visible; 2) substructure is visible; 3) substructure and some ultrastructural features distinguishable; 4) efficient preservation and resolution of most details of the substructure; 5) fine preservation and resolution of substructure and clear distinction of ultrastructural details, and assumed to be the closest to the native structure. na = not applicable or substructure is not visible