Introduction to chemistry of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the most abundant macromolecules in nature. They are the main source and storage of energy in the body. They serve also as structural component of cell membrane. The general molecular formula of carbohydrate is CnH2nOn or (CH2O)n, where n > 3.
Chemically, they contain the elements like carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Thus, they are Carbon compounds that contain large quantities of Hydroxyl groups (-OH).
Carbohydrates in general are polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones or compounds which give these substances on hydrolysis.
1. Chemistry of Carbohydrates
1.3. Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides, or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long-chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages.
Most of the carbohydrates found in nature occur in the form of high molecular polymers called polysaccharides.
There are two types of polysaccharides. These are:
• Homopolysaccharides that contain only one type of monosaccharide building blocks.
• Heteropolysaccharides, which contain two or more different kinds monosaccharide building blocks.