Types of Carbohydrates, function and importance

1. T R I D I P B O R U A H
A S S I S T A N T P R O F E S S O R
D E P A R T M E N T O F B O T A N Y
M . C C O L L E G E , B A R P E T A
Carbohydrate Metabolism

2. Carbohydrates are polyhydroxy aldehydes or
ketones and their condensation products.
Dependending on the presence of numbers of
saccharides unit, they can be classified.
Mainly they are classified into
a) Monosaccharides
b) Oligosaccharides
c) Polysaccharides
Carbohydrates

6. Structure of Monosaccharides
Empirical formula: (CH2O)n
n= 3: Triose
n=4: Tetrose
n=5: Pentose
n=6: Hexose
N=7: Heptose

11. Biological importance of monosaccharides
 Role in photosynthesis
 As fuel of the physiological processes
 Component of nucleic acids
 Building blocks of complex biopolymers
 Act as intermediate between different complex
metabolic pathways

12. Disaccharides
Two monosaccharide units connected by a
glycosidic bond (C1-> C4)
Sucrose: Glucose + Fructose

13. Maltose= Glucose + Glucose

14. Lactose= Galactose + Glucose

15. Polysaccharides
These are complex long chain carbohydrates which are
formed by polymerisation of more than ten but
generally very large number of units of
monosaccharides.
1) On the basis of structure
i) Homopolysaccharides: Starch, Cellulose
ii) Heteropolysaccharides: Pectin,
Hemicellulose

16. 2) On the basis of function
i) Storage Polysaccharides: Functions as reserve
food material, required for respiration and
biosynthesis
Starch, Glycogen, Insulin
ii) Structural polysaccharides: Fibrous in nature,
required in the formation of cell wall, exoskeletons
Cellulose, Chitin
iii) Mucopolysaccharides: High molecular weight
compounds, gelatenous in nature, required for
lubrication
Agar agar, Pectin, Heparin