Publications and Research
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Fall 12-13-2025
Abstract
This project aims to model mineral (ion) redistribution that occurs in human soft tissue after injury or mechanical/thermal stress. Because direct, repeatable in vivo measurements are difficult, we use apples as an in vitro analogue: their mineral content is relatively uniform and the tissue can be cut, dried, and repeatedly imaged under controlled conditions. Using X-ray imaging, we tracked how minerals in apple tissue move toward damaged regions immediately after cutting, and how subsequent drying at room temperature drives a redistribution toward the central core. We also observed that biological degradation (decay) alters mineral density over time, indicating that even simple tissue analogues are governed by multiple concurrent processes. These findings support the use of fruit tissue as a proxy system for staging and visualizing stress-induced mineral redistribution that may also occur in living tissues.
