Carbs: Structure, Digestion and Absorption Flashcards
What are the three major sugars that can be used as fuel?
Glucose, Fructose and Galactose
**only one we really need is glucose
What does adding fructose to things do for us?
It adds sweetness to what we eat
What are simple carbohydrates?
They contain 1 or 2 monomers of glucose, fuctose and galactose
Monosaccharides contain 1
Disaccharides contain 2
What are complex carbohydrates?
Contain 100s to 1000s of monomers
Starches (from plants)
Glycogen (from animal)
Fibers (from plant)
What is sucrose?
Disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose
What is lactose?
In milk and is a combo of galactose and glucose
**galactose must be first in order for us to break it down
What is maltose?
Used in beer
composed of 2 glucose
What is trehalose?
Found is mushrooms and crab legs
composed of 2 glucose
What is starch?
How plants store glucose
Composed of only glucose
Amylose (single strand of glucose) and Amylopectin (strands of glucose that branch off each other)
What is glycogen?
Storage of glucose in humans (liver and muscle)
Has many branches of glucose (more than amylopectin)
What are fibers?
Composed of cellulose in plants for storage
Its glucose but our bodies are not able to break it down and use it for energy
Do our carbohydrates use an L-configuration or a D-configuration?
every carb in humans is D-configuration
How can you tell if a molecule is glucose when its drawn?
It will have the -OH in the UP position at the 3rd carbon
middle finger
How can you tell a molecule is galactose when drawn?
it will have an -OH in the up position in the 3 and 4 spot
How can you tell if a molecule is fructose when drawn?
It will have a keytone and only be 5 member ring
What is an aldose sugar?
Its a sugar that contains an aldehyde group
Glucose and glactose
What is a ketose sugar?
A sugar that has a keytone group
Fructose
Do fisher structures exist in nature?
No, they do not. When put into solution they will always form the hawthrone projection and make a ring structure
What is the anomeric carbon?
Its the carbon in hawthron projection that becomes chiral after the -OH of the 5 carbon attaches to it in forming the ring
Which carbon is known as the reducing end and which is the nonreducing end?
Carbon 1 is the reducing end
Carbon 6 is the nonreducing end
How do you determine if a sugar is alpha or beta?
If they -OH is on the same side of the 6 carbon is it beta
If the -OH is on the opposite side of carbon 6 then it is alpha
What is the glycosidic bond?
The linkage between the monosaccharide units of disaccharides and polysaccharides
Formed by the removal of a molecule of water (condensation rxn) between two hydroxyl groups
What are the common glycosidic bonds?
- Hydroxyl group of monosac anomeric carbon reacts with another monosac’s hydroxyl of anomeric carbon
- Hydroyxl of one monosacc’s anomeric carbon reacts to another monosacc’s hydroyxl carbon 4
- Hydroyxl of one monosacc anomeric carbon binds to another monosaccs hydroyxl carbon 6
Why does it matter what the glycosidic bond does?
It matters because enzymes recognize the bond which allows them to metabolize them
What is the carbohydrate structure of sucrose?
Glc (a1–>B2)Fru
The anomeric carbon of glucose is bound to the anomeric carbon of fuctose (which is the 2 carbon)
**its non-reducing because both anomeric carbons are in the bond
What is the carbohydrate structure of trehalose?
Glc(a1–>a1)Glc
The anomeric carbon of glucose is bound to the anomeric carbon of another glucose
**this is non-reducing since both anomeric carbons are being used