Unit 4: Carbohydrates; Sugar, Starch, Fibre Flashcards
What is the principal building block of Carbohydrates
Glucose
What are the most abundant forms of Carbohydrates
Starch, simple sugars and cellulose
Carbohydrates are found in most plant foods; but the only6 animal product that is a significant source of carbohydrates is?
Milk
What are the 3 main categories of carbohydrates?
- Simple carbohydrates
- Complex carbohydrates
- Dietary fibre
What are the simple carbohydrates?
Monosaccharides-single sugars: glucose, fructose, and galactose
Disaccharides-sugars composed of pairs of monosaccharides: sucrose, maltose and lactose
What is a complex carbohydrate?
Polysaccharides-large molecules composed of chains of monosaccharides: glycogen, starches, and dietary fibre
Explain Carbohydrates
Contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen [C(H2O)].
General chemical formula is glucose: C6H12O6
Carbon bonds with 4 atoms
Hydrogen bonds with 1 atom
Nitrogen bonds with 3 atoms
Oxygen bonds with 2 atoms
Glucose
Monosaccharide
C6H12O6
Serves as essential energy source for the body’s activities. (Also known as blood sugar)
One of 2 sugars in every disaccharide and unit that forms polysaccharides
Fructose
Monosaccharide
C6H12O6
Sweetest of sugars
Same formula as glucose but different arrangement
Galactose
Monosaccharide
C6H12O6
Same formula as glucose and fructose but different arrangement
Occurs naturally as a single sugar in only a few foods
Condensation Reaction
Links 2 monosaccharides
A hydroxyl group (OH) from one monosaccharide and a hydrogen atom (H) from the other combine to from (H2O). The 2 monosaccharides link with a single oxygen (O).
Hydrolysis Reaction
To break a disaccharide in two.
A molecule of water (H2O) splits to from and H and an H needed to complete the monosaccharides. Mainly occurs during digestion
Maltose
Glucose + Glucose
Produced whenever starch breaks down during carbohydrate digestion. Also during the fermentation process that yields alcohol.
Sucrose
Fructose + Glucose
Accounts for the sweetness in fruits, vegetables and grains. Used to make table sugar by refining.
Lactose
Galactose + Glucose
Principal carbohydrate of milk. Contributes to half the energy provided by skim milk.
Define Polysaccharides
Contain many glucose units (in some cases other monosaccharides). 3 important types: glycogen, starches, fibres
Glycogen
Food is not a significant source (limited in meats, not in plants)
Important role: glucose storage in the body (energy storage)
Made of many glucose molecules linked in branched chains. When the hormonal message arrives in the glycogen storage sites in a liver or muscle cell enzymes respond by attacking the branches of glycogen making a surge of glucose available.
Starches
Plant cells store glucose as starches (long branched or unbranched chains of glucose molecules (hundreds to thousands). Once you eat the plant (grain, vegetable, legumes) your body hydrolysis the starch to glucose for energy
Resistant starch
Less digestible starch
Technically a kind of fibre (ex. Raw potato, seeds)
May be digested slowly or remains intact until the bacteria of the colon break it done. Rate of digestion may affect the body’s handling of glucose
Dextrose
Term commonly used in food labels; refers to glucose
Dextrin
Short chain of glucose units resulting from the partial hydrolysis of starch. Used as a thickening agent.
Refined cereals
Grains that have been milled to remove the bran and leave only the endosperm. (White flour, cornstarch etc.). Lower content of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals
Only monosaccharides can be digested by the intestinal mucosal cells. TRUE OR FALSE?
TRUE
Define Dextrins (in terms of carbohydrate digestion)
Short chains of glucose resulting from the breakdown of starch
Digestion of starch in the mouth
Salivary enzyme amylase begins to hydrolyze starch into small polysaccharides and the the disaccharide maltose
Digestion of fibre in the mouth
The mechanical action of the mouth crushes and tears fibre and mixes it with saliva for swallowing
Digestion of starch in the stomach
Stomach acids inactivate salivary enzymes, halting starch digestion
Digestion of fibre in the stomach
Fibre is not digested and it delays gastric emptying
Digestion of starch in the small intestine and pancreas
The pancreas produces an amylase that is released through the pancreatic duct to the small intestine
Starch–> Pancreatic amylase –> small polysaccharides, maltose
Then Disaccharidase enzymes on the surface of the intestinal cells hydrolyze the disaccharides into monosaccharides
Maltose –> maltase –> glucose + glucose
Sucrose –> sucrase –> fructose + glucose
Lactose –> lactase –> galactose + glucose
Intestinal cells absorb these monosaccharides
Digestion of fibre in the small intestine
Fibre is not digested and delays the absorption of other nutrients