Carbohydrates

Definition

basic energy source (fuel) for virtually all living organisms

Functions

• C-H bond is energy rich

• structural molecules e.g. cellulose, chitin

• fuel reserve molecules e.g. starch, glycogen

Carbohydrates 

All carbohydrates are composed of one or more monosaccharides

• Glucose, Fructose, Galactose

Simple sugars

• formed from one monosaccharide

• two monosaccharides disaccharide) - condensation reaction - formation of glycosidic bond

Oligosaccharides

Between 4 and 10 monosaccharides

Polysaccharides

are also called Complex carbohydrates

Oligosaccharides

• some plants have Oligosaccharides 

• humans can not digest Oligosaccharides

• bacteria in our intestines can

• 38 trillion bacteria

• gut microbiome

• can worsen Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptoms 

Monosaccharide structure

• a carbon backbone of three to seven carbon atoms

• also contains Hydrogen and Oxygen

• ratio of atoms in a monosaccharide is; CH2O e.g. C6H12O6

Monosaccharide functional groups

• -OH Hydroxyl

• =O Carbonyl

Disaccharides

are 2 monosaccharides joined by a condensation reaction

Disaccharides

The ‘H’ is taken from hydroxyl functional group of one monosaccharide and the ‘OH’ from the second

Disaccharides

The two monosaccharides are then joined by a C-O-C bond