Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates (literally hydrates of carbon) are chemical compounds that act as the primary biological means of storing or consuming energy, other forms being fat and protein. Relatively complex carbohydrates are known as polysaccharides. Carbohydrates are naturally produced by plants and animals. Sugars and starches are carbohydrates. A more precise definition of carbohydrates could be: Carbohydrates are polyhydroxyaldehydes, or polyhydroxyketones, and their derivatives.

Oligosaccharides and polysaccharides

Oligosaccharides and polysaccharides are composed of longer chains of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic bonds. The distinction between the two is based upon the number of monosaccharide units present in the chain. Oligosaccharides typically contain between three and nine monosaccharide units, and polysaccharides contain greater than ten monosaccharide units. Definitions of how large a carbohydrate must be to fall into each category vary however.

Related Topics:
Oligosaccharide - Polysaccharide

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Oligosaccharides are found as a common form of protein posttranslational modification. Polysaccharides represent an important class of biological polymer. Examples include starch, cellulose and chitin.

Related Topics:
Protein - Posttranslational modification - Polymer - Starch - Cellulose - Chitin

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~