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carbohydrate layer

Fibers that are twisted together to make the threads of the Shroud's cloth have a thin carbohydrate layer of starch fractions, various sugars and other impurities. This layer, which is thinner (200 to 800 nanometers) than most bacteria or the transparent glare-resistant coatings used on modern eyeglasses, is normally colorless. However, in some places, the coating has chemically changed and appears straw-yellow. This chemical change is like the change that takes place when proteins react with sugar as in the making of beer or when sugar is heated to make caramel. It is the straw-yellow, selectively present in some parts of the carbohydrate layer, that makes up the image seen the Shroud.

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© 2005 Daniel R. Porter, Bronxville, New York