CARBOHYDRATE STUDY
Carbohydrate is an organic compound that is the body’s main source of energy and the most abundant organic
molecule on earth. It is the body’s main source of energy.
Carbohydrate consists of the following elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (CHO)
Carbohydrates are produced by green plants through photosynthesis, using the sun’s energy for plants to
convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
Carbohydrates are
SIMPLE (SUGARS)
which come from food
sources such as fruits,
vegetables, grain products
dry beans, and starches or
COMPLEX (starches and
fiber) which come from
starches and fiber
GLUCOSE is the basic
sugar molecule from
which all other
carbohydrates are built. A
product of photosynthesis
is glucose. A plant can
convert glucose into other
sugars, starches, and fiber.
SIMPLE
CARBOHYDRATES:
SUGARS (sugars are
saccahrides)
Monosaccharides:
Monosaccharide is simple
sugars that cannot be
broken down by
hydrolysis and is the
building block for all
sugars. This means that
there is only one sugar
molecule.
GLUCOSE AND
FRUCTOSE
Disaccharides: made of
two monosaccharides
bonded together.
SUCROSE (glucose and
fructose) or table sugar is the most common dissacharide. LACTOSE (glucose and galactose) is found in milk.
MALTOSE (two glucose units) occurs in cereals and sprouting grains.
What is a sugar?
They are usually classified into three groups depending on the number of single sugar units or residues that
are joined together in the molecule: monosaccharides (single sugars) contain only one single residue,
disaccharides (double sugars) contain two residues and polysaccharides (many sugars) contain many
residues. Mono and disaccharides may taste sweet, are crystalline and dissolve in water. They are the
saccharides we familiar with.
Properties of Sugar
All sugars have the same chemical formula; they differ in how atoms position themselves on the molecular
ring.

Sweetness-fructose is the sweetest sugar. Sucrose, glucose, galactose, maltose and lactose following
in decreasing order.

Caramelization - the browning reaction that can occur with any kind of sugar. The complex chemical
process is not fully understood.

Solubility-sugar is highly soluble in water because they contain hydroxyl groups, which form hydrogen
bonds with water molecules.

Crystallization-As you raise the heat, the supersaturated solution starts to boil. Water evaporated,
increasing the concentration of the sugar in the solvent. When sugar reaches a certain concentration,
crystallization occurs. Sugar crystals separate from the solution; each sugar is in a unique organized
pattern of molecules.
Starches
In complex carbohydrates, glucose forms compounds called polysaccharides, which are an example of a
polymer, which is a large molecule, formed when small molecules of the same kind chain together.
Polysaccharides are made from chemically linked monosaccharides-from ten to several thousand.
Starches are literally plant food. They are to plants what glycogen is to people: reserve energy. Starches are
stored in granular form, largely in seeds and roots.
Structure of Fiber
Polysaccharides however are totally different. They are not sweet, they are not crystalline nor do they dissolve
in water. An example of a polysaccharide is cellulose that is a major component of plant cell walls. Fiber is
what gives plants their structure. The main plant fiber is cellulose, a polymer made of a form of glucose. Bran is
the most concentrated fiber.
CARBOYDRATES IN THE DIET
Stored in the body to provide a steady stream of energy. Recommend the 55-65% of your daily caloric
intake is from carbohydrates, mostly complex.
Energy Production-efficient fuel for the body. Four calories per gram of CHO. Glucose in the main
Carbohydrate found in the blood where it is called blood sugar which affects the functioning of all of the
body’s cells, but most critically the brain and nervous system.
Blood Glucose Levels-as one if it’s digestive duties, the pancreas monitors the flow of glucose to the cells.
Diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot regulate blood glucose levels. Hypoglycemia is an
abnormal low level of blood glucose.
Digestion-the body cannot digest fiber. Fiber promotes digestive health by absorbing water as they past
through the intestine making an easy transit for foods and exercises and tones intestinal muscle. It is
recommended that adults have 20-35 grams of dietary fiber each day.
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. What are carbohydrates? What are the functions of carbohydrates in the body/
2. Explain the difference between a simple carbohydrate and complex carbohydrates.
3. What is a monosaccharide? Give an example.
4. What are disaccharides and what is the most common disaccharide?
5. What are the properties of sugar when used in cooking?
6. Why are starches considered to be polysaccharides?
7. How are polysaccharides different than monosaccharide and give an example of a polysaccharide?
8. What is the recommended percentage of your daily caloric intake should come from carbohydrates?
9. How many calories are in each gram of carbohydrates?
10. How many grams of fiber should a person eat each day?
11. Why do we need fiber in our diets?