This procedure is known as crosslinking, and it makes cotton resistant to wrinkling. Her innovation was discovering an additive that chemically attached to cellulose chains and smoothed the surface. It was first thought that crosslinking was making the cotton fabric wrinkle resistant by strengthening its fibers, but the amount of crosslinking used in Benerito's treatment is small and does not add much strength. She developed a new theory on how crosslinking works. It is known that cellulose molecules can stick to each other by means of the weak hydrogen bonds between molecules. She proposed that one side effect of her crosslinking process was the strengthening of the hydrogen bonds, which made the material resistant to wrinkling. Benerito's research led to the development of glassy fibers that proved useful in the manufacture of laboratory equipment. Besides her contribution to textile industry, during the Korean War, Benerito developed a way to give fat intravenously to patients who were too sick to eat—a method used to feed seriously wounded soldiers.