Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are essential to human life.  They are made up for saccharides. Saccharides combine through condensation to form disaccharides. When more than two saccharides combine, you get polysaccharides.

Monosaccharides include glucose and fructose. These are foods such as corn syrup and honey

Dissacharides are molecules such as lactose, maltose, and sucrose. Sucrose is a table sugar and lactose is found in milk.

 

Polysaccharides include glycogen, cellulose, and starches.

Glycogen is the the way energy is stored in muscles for animals.

Cellulose is a plants way to store energy.

Starches are found in potatoes and even the starch we use to iron.

Chitin is also a polysaccharide. This is what makes bugs crunchy

 

How can you tell what a certain carbohydrate is?

There are two different tests that include the Benedict’s solution or an iodine solution.

In the Benedict’s solution is a test in which you create a solution out of water and some type of carbohydrate. Next you put this in a tube and add about five drops of the Benedict’s solution.  This will turn it blue. After then, apply heat for five minutes. If the color of the liquid in the tube stays blue, it’s either a disaccharide or a polysaccharide. If the color turns orange, the carbohydrate is a monosaccharide.

This picture shows this

With the iodine test, put your solution of water and a carbohydrate into a tube. Add one to two drops of the iodine solution to the tube. You will not need to apply heat. If the solution is a monosaccharide or disaccharide, the color will be light brown, just from the iodine. If the solution turns a dark brown, if not a black, it is a polysaccharide.

 

If nothing happens with either test, the carbohydrate is a dissacharide.

I feel that I have a pretty good understanding of carbohydrates. The lab really helped with this. I’m not too sure why the different saccharides matter or how they will be used in the body. Basically, I understand the basics of carbohydrates. Also, I don’t understand what other saccharides like Oligosaccharides. To learn more about carbohydrates, I can always read in my book or ask more questions. I can even research it online. I’m sure later in my education, I will learn more about carbohydrates, depending on what field I go into for my career.