BIOCHEMICAL MOLECULES
Carbohydrates and their Classification
Carbohydrates refer to neutral compounds of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon. They are mainly starches and sugars. Carbohydrates are the type of nutrients that supply the body with calories. Sugars are the simplest forms of carbohydrates while fiber and starches are the complex forms of carbohydrates. The body breaks most carbohydrates into their simplest forms, such as glucose to supply body cells with energy for cellular processes. There are five groups of carbohydrates: heterosaccharides, polysaccharides, trisaccharides, disaccharides and monosaccharides (Asp, 1996). Glycogen, starch, and cellulose are some examples of polysaccharides. Glucose is a monosaccharide. Polysaccharides range from intermediate to large in length while monosaccharides are the smallest in length. Simple carbohydrates are contained in specific food products. For instance, milk contains lactose, fruit contains fructose and table sugar contains sucrose.
Structure of Glucose
Glucose, chemically written as C6H12O6, is a commonly encountered monosaccharide. It is also known as blood sugar. Glucose consists of 6 carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms, and 6 oxygen atoms. Carbon has 4 bonds and forms the backbone of the glucose structure. Hydrogen has one bond and oxygen has 2 bonds. Hydrogen and oxygen are attached to carbon atoms, as illustrated on Figure 1 below (Englyst and Hudson, 1996).
Figure
Ratings
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