Classification of Carbohydrates

All living things are made up from four classes of large biological molecules, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, each of which are made from smaller building blocks, monomers, which we shall consider shortly.

Carbohydrates are molecules that play vitally important roles in many different biological processes, depending upon use, the structure and function of carbohydrates vary considerably.

All organisms need energy to carryout vital functions. Carbohydrates are a primary source of energy for specific cells and many major organs in the body. Our brains, nervous systems, muscles and red blood cells all constantly rely upon a supply of carbohydrates in the form of glucose to remain active and alert.

The main source and the majority of carbohydrates in our food are derived from plants, though animal products such as milk and dairy products contribute to this also.

The carbohydrates derived from plants are formed through the process of photosynthesis whereby plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air, water from the ground and energy from the sun, and produce the product of carbohydrates. As a result of this process, ‘carbohydrates are the most abundant biological molecule in nature.’ (Evers et al 200 p)

All carbohydrates are fundamentally made up of three elements, a carbohydrate will contain in different ratios the presence of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen elements. All carbohydrates regardless of size and function are made up of individual sugar units-molecules in varying number depending upon the precise type of carbohydrate.

We can divide carbohydrates into two major groups, the sugars and the non-sugars. Simplistically speaking sugars characteristically tend to be smaller molecules possessing relatively small molecular masses, they are normally crystalline in structure and are generally soluble in water due to being a small molecule and from its chemical structure. Perhaps the most ...