Carbohydrates

• Monosaccharide molecules have a general formula (CH2O)n where n=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.
• The most common monosaccharides found in nature are glucose, fructose, galactose, ribose, deoxyribose, glyceraldehyde, and xylose.
• Examples of disaccharides include sucrose (glucose + fructose), maltose (two glucoses joined together), lactose (galactose + glucose).
• Polysaccharides are made up of many monomers linked together through glycosidic bonds.
• Cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls and consists of long chains of beta-1,4 linked glucose molecules. Humans are unable to digest fibers, in which cellulose is a type of fiber. When we ingest fibers. It passes through our gastrointestinal (GI) tract undigested.
• Starch is a polysaccharide and a storage form of carbohydrates in plants and can be broken down into glucose by enzymes such as amylase.
• The basic monomer of carbohydrates is glucose.
• Glycogen is a polysaccharide found in humans, functioning like starch, and can be broken down into glucose. It is made up of alpha glucose molecules.
• Glycosidic linkages are formed by condensation reactions or dehydration synthesis between two monosaccharides. They can be broken down via the addition of H2O, which is called the hydrolysis reaction.
• Carbohydrates contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.