Macromolecules: An Introduction to Cell Products
In order for organisms to grow, function and reproduce, certain raw materials are required.
These raw materials provide:
1. Energy:
2. Building materials:
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
These raw materials have many names and titles, but because they are manufactured by living
cells these macromolecules are referred to as ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
All of these compounds come from our diet, the foods we eat and are broken down by our
digestive system, and then reassembled into the building blocks to make our cells and tissues.
There are three categories of organic compounds:
1. Carbohydrates:
2. Proteins:
a. Enzymes:
3. Lipids:
How are organic compounds manufactured by our cells?
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Our cells are actually complex working machines. Inside these “machines” are small
structures called ORGANELLES, that have specific functions and responsibilities.
The organelles take the raw materials to break down and reassemble them into specific
products that end up being carbohydrates, proteins, lipids or enzymes.
The foods you eat are the source of the raw materials that will eventually become the
carbohydrates to fuel your activities, proteins to make muscle and skin, enzymes to
make your metabolism function and lipids to create cells.
Digestion
Digestion is the process where our bodies take large, complex molecular mixtures and break
them down into their individual organic building blocks.
There are two types of digestion:
1. Mechanical Digestion:
2. Chemical Digestion:
The Digestive System
The digestive system is a series of glands and organs that are
responsible for taking the food you eat and breaking it down
into it’s individual molecular components.
Organs of the Digestive System
1. Mouth:
2. Salivary Glands:
3. Esophagus:
4. Small Intestine:
5. Large Intestine:
6. Liver:
7. Gall Bladder:
8. Pancreas:
9. Rectum:
Overview of Digestion
A. Step 1:
B. Step 2:
C. Step 3:
Carbohydrates
1.
2.
3.
a. Simple carbohydrates:
b. Complex carbohydrates:
4.
5.
Classes of Carbohydrates
There are three classes of carbohydrates. The number of sugar units (saccharides) in the
molecule determines which class the carbohydrate belongs to.
1. Monosaccharides:
2. Disaccharides:
3. Polysaccharides:
Monosaccharides
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These are the simple sugars. They are composed of a single sugar unit called a
saccharide.
1.
2. Examples:
3. Dietary Sources:
Disaccharides
These are a type of complex carbohydrate. They are composed of two monosaccharides
chemically bonded together.
1.
2. Examples:
3. Dietary sources:
Polysaccharides
Complex carbohydrate composed of at least three mono’s bonded together. Typically LONG
chains.
1.
2.
3.
4. Dietary Sources:
5. Examples
a. Starch:
b. Cellulose:
c. Glycogen:
i:
ii:
Carbohydrate Deficiency
What happens if your body is not able to get the carbohydrates it needs?
A.
B.
C.
1.
Carbohydrate Summary
ALL carbohydrates are manufactured by plants through the process of photosynthesis.
The only exception are lactose (milk sugar) and glycogen.
– These take the monosaccharides from foods that were consumed and released
through digestion, then rearranged by the cells into their final product (lactose,
galactose or glycogen).
Proteins
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Protein is an important component of every cell in the body. If you were to remove all the
water from our bodies, what is left would be 75% protein.
A.
B.
C.
D.
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When foods containing protein are digested in your body, the protein is broken down
into the individual units that make up the protein.
These “units” or building blocks are called amino acids.
Amino acids are linked together in different lengths or chains depending on what needs
to be manufactured. Each protein has a different length and sequence.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.
1.
2.
Dietary sources of proteins are:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Enzymes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Protein Deficiencies
What happens if your body does not get the amount of protein that it needs?
A.
B.
1.
2.
3.
Lipids
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You know lipids as “fats”. However, in the scientific world, they are also called
“triglycerides”.
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Lipids are a molecule made up of a glycerol group and fatty acids.
A.
B.
C.
Two Classes of Lipids
1. Saturated Fats
a.
b.
2. Unsaturated Fats
a.
b.
c.
d.
Trans-fats
Trans-fats are chemically altered “unsaturated fats” that are turned into “saturated fats”.
A.
B.
C.
D. Examples:
Lipid Deficiencies
What if our bodies do not get enough lipids in our daily diet?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Summary of Lipids
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Fats/lipids have a great deal of energy stored in their bonds. This is why the human
body converts excess glucose to fat to store it.
When your body needs the extra fuel, it breaks down the fat and uses that energy.
Fats contain more than twice the energy of a molecule of glucose.
– One pound of fat produces 4320 Kcal of energy, enough to raise the temperature
of more than 10 gallons of water from the freezing point to the boiling point.
The Wrap-Up:
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2.
3.
4.
5.
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7.
8.
9.