In this class, we’ll sometimes use a simpler purple pentagon to represent fructose:įructose is special because it is the sweetest carbohydrate. Here’s the chemical structure of fructose: The foods listed here have glucose in its monosaccharide form.) 2 – Fructose (All plants make glucose, but much of the glucose is used to make starch, fiber, and other nutrients. (In practice, your muscles are usually using some combination of fat and glucose for energy, which we’ll learn more about later.)įood sources of glucose: Glucose is found in fruits and vegetables, as well as honey, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. Muscles, on the other hand, can use fat as an energy source. It’s especially important for the brain and nervous system, which aren’t very good at using other fuel sources. In humans, glucose is one of the most important nutrients for fueling the body. Plants make glucose as a way of storing the sun’s energy in a form that it can use for growth and reproduction. You’re already familiar with glucose, because it’s the main product of photosynthesis. In this class, we’ll sometimes use a simpler green hexagon to represent glucose: Here’s the chemical structure of glucose: Note that all three have the same chemical formula (C 6H 12O 6) the atoms are just arranged a bit differently. Food carbohydrates have to be broken down to monosaccharides before they can be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and they also circulate in blood in monosaccharide form. (The prefix “mono-” means “one.”) The small size of monosaccharides gives them a special role in digestion and metabolism. Monosaccharides contain just one sugar unit, so they’re the smallest of the carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are sometimes called “sugars” or “simple sugars.” There are 2 types of simple carbohydrates: mono saccharides and disaccharides. Carbohydrates can be divided into two main types: simple (including monosaccharides and disaccharides) and complex. This figure gives you an overview of the types of carbohydrates that we’ll cover.įigure 4.4. Simple carbohydrates are made up of just one or two sugar units, whereas complex carbohydrates are made up of many sugar units. hydrogen and oxygen, in about a two-to-one proportion, just like in H 2O (that’s the “-hydrate” part)įor this reason, you may see carbohydrates abbreviated as “CHO” in our class.Ĭarbohydrates can be divided into two main types: simple and complex.On this page, we’ll get acquainted with the chemical structure of different types of carbohydrates and learn where we find them in foods.įirst, all carbohydrates are made up of the same chemical elements:
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