Carbohydrates & Lipids

• Spingolipids contain organic amino alcohol sphingosine and are located mainly in the cell membrane of mammalian cells and serve as a structural component as well as adhesion sites for proteins of extracellular tissue.
• Monosaccharide, also known as glucose, is the simplest form of carbohydrate with the chemical formula of C 6 H 12 O 6.
• Glucose is the only form of sugar used by the body that provides energy to fuel all cellular processes and is also known as blood sugar.
• Glucose is the most abundant carbohydrate in the blood and is also called as blood sugar.
• Glucose requires no digestion and may be given intravenously to patients who cannot take food by mouth.
• Fructose, also known as levulose, is considered the sweetest among the sugar being twice as sweet as glucose and is found in fruits, honey and corn syrups.
• Fructose is metabolized directly, but is also readily converted to glucose in the liver.
• Galactose, also known as aldehexose, is combined from milk and is an important component that serves as a marker that can help identify blood types.
• Galactose is less than half as sweet as glucose.
• Disaccharides are two monosaccharides joined together with the formula C 12 H 22 O 11.
• Sucrose, commonly known as table sugar, is a combination of glucose and fructose and is considered an excellent natural preservative.
• Lactose, found in milk and milk products, is formed by combining glucose and galactose and an enzyme called lactase is needed to digest this.
• Lactose intolerance is a common digestive disorder where the body cannot fully digest lactose.
• Maltose, found in beer, is composed of two glucose and provides energy in germinating seeds.
• Polysaccharides are made up of repeating units of sugar joined together by glycosidic bond.
• Oils (liquid) and fats (semi-solid) are two types of neutral lipids.
• Unsaturated fats, examples are oils from plants like corn oil and palm oil.
• Chitin is used in making surgical threads, binders in dyes, fabrics and adhesives.
• Phospholipids are made up of glycerol, fatty acids and a phosphate group.
• Phospholipids are a sub group of lipids and are a major structural component of all cell membrane.
• Neutral lipids are the commonly found lipids in cells which serve as energy-storage molecules.
• Fats are deposited in the adipose tissue and are sources of energy.
• The cellulose in plants passes unchanged through our digestive tract and is commonly known as fiber.
• Fats, a subgroup of lipids, are composed of one glycerol and three fatty acids, hence called triglyceride.
• Cellulose keeps our digestive tract healthy but does not serve as a nutrient.
• Oils are usually found in the seeds of plants while fats are produced by animals.
• Starch is a storage polysaccharide derived from potatoes, wheat, bread, pasta and other bread products.
• Chitin is the principal component of exoskeletons of animals like mollusc and crustaceans.
• Cellulose is the most abundant organic molecule on earth that provides support in the cell walls of plants and other organisms like bacteria.
• Fats surrounding the internal organs act as cushions protecting them from shocks and injuries.
• Saturated fats have hydrocarbon chains that are straight and packed closely making them solid at room temperature.
• Lipids are a diverse group of molecules that contain regions composed of entirely hydrogen and carbon.
• Carbohydrate molecules are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in approximately 1:2:1 ratio with a general formula C n (H 2 O) n.
• Hydrolysis is the major chemical reaction in the digestion of starchy foods.
• Glycogen, also referred to as animal starch, is stored in the liver and muscle.