3b. Biochemistry - Carbs & Lipids Flashcards
What is biochemistry?
Science concerned with the chemical and physiochemical processes and substances that occur within living organisms
Which elements are carbohydrates made from?
C-H-O
How are the carbon atoms usually arranged?
In a ring with O2 and H attached
Why do carbohydrates have many -OH groups?
So they can form hydrogen bonds
What is the benefit of carbohydrates having many -OH groups?
Smaller carbs such as simple sugars can dissolve easily in water
What are the three classes of carbs?
Monosaccharides
Disaccharides
Polysaccharides
How are monosaccharides constructed?
With 3-7 C atoms
Examples of monosaccharides
Glucose Fructose Galactose Deoxyribose Ribose
How are disaccharides constructed?
2 monosaccharides joined together by dehydration reaction
Examples of disaccharides
Sucrose
Lactose
Maltose
Which two monosaccharides make up sucrose?
Glucose
Fructose
Which two monosaccharides make up lactose?
Glucose
Galactose
Which two monosaccharides make up maltose?
Glucose
Glucose
How are polysaccharides structured?
10s-100s of monosaccharides joined together by dehydration reaction
Long chains of glucose
Examples of polysaccharides
Glycogen
Starch
Cellulose
What characteristic do most monosaccharides have?
Sweet taste
Which monosaccharide is the sweetest?
Fructose
How are monosaccharides grouped?
Into families named after the number of carbon atoms
What are the names of the monosaccharide groups?
Triose (3 carbons)
Pentose (5 carbons)
Hexose (6 carbons)
Heptose (7 carbons)
What are isomers?
They have the same chemical formula but different structures
same number of Lego bricks used to make different structures
Examples of isomers
Glucose
Galactose
Fructose
What is the name of the bond that joins two monosaccharides together to form a disaccharide?
Glycosidic bond
How is a glycosidic bond created?
Through dehydration synthesis
How is a disaccharide broken down?
Water is put back in during digestion
Known as hydrolysis
When is maltose formed?
During the hydrolysis of starch
What percentage of cow’s milk is lactose?
5%
What percentage of human milk is lactose?
7%
Why are polysaccharides normally insoluble in water?
They have given up so many -OH groups
Do polysaccharides taste sweet?
No
Where does the digestion of polysaccharides begin?
In the oral cavity
What is the most common type of polysaccharide in the body?
Glycogen
What is each glycogen molecule made up of?
Around 60,000 glucose molecules
What is the function of glycogen?
Short-term energy
Where is most glycogen made?
Liver
Where is most glycogen stored?
Liver
Muscles
What can glycogen in the liver be used for?
Maintain blood sugar levels
What can glycogen stored in the muscles be used for?
Energy for that particular muscle
What is cellulose?
Structural material of plants
Found in plant cell walls
How is cellulose constructed?
Flat, ribbon-like strands
Joined together with bonds
Why can’t we digest cellulose?
We don’t have the correct enzymes to break down the bonds
What is the function of cellulose?
Fibre to assist with the movement of materials through the intestine
Which polysaccharide is the main dietary source?
Starch
Which foods can starch be found in?
Bread
Rice
Pasta
Where does digestion of starch begin?
In the oral cavity
What is starch made up of?
20-25% amylose
75-80% amylopectin
How is amylose constructed?
Single chain of glucose units
How does the structure of amylose affect its digestion?
Straight chain which limits amount of surface area exposed for digestion
What is amylose also known as?
Resistant starch
as it is digested more slowly
What can some resistant starch end up doing in the large intestine?
Feeding the bacteria there
How is amylopectin constructed?
Glucose chains but with branches
How does the structure of amylopectin affect its digestion?
More surface area available for digestion
Broken down quickly
What affect does the digestion of amylopectin have in the body?
Broken down quickly
= rise in blood sugar levels
= rise in insulin