What Are Carbohydrates? Classification and Examples for Easy Understanding

What Are Carbohydrates? Classification and Examples for Easy Understanding

Classify carbohydrates with suitable examples.
Answer.

Definition Of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates may be defined as polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones or compounds which produce them on hydrolysis

“Role of carbohydrates as energy sources: Questions answered”

Classification Of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are classified into 3 groups

• Monosaccharides
• Oligosaccharides
• Diasaccharides
• Polysaccharides

“Understanding carbohydrates through FAQs: Q&A explained”

Monosaccharides

• Monosaccharides are the simplest group of carbohydrates and are referred to as simple sugars
• They cannot be further hydrolysed
• The monosaccharides are divided into different categories depending on the functional group and the number of carbon atoms
• When the functional group in monosaccharides is an aldehyde, they are known as aldoses e.g. glyceraldehyde, glucose
• When the functional group is a keto group, they are known as ketoses e.g. dihydroxyacetone, fructose
• Based on the number of carbon atoms, the monosaccharides are regarded as trioses (3C), tetroses (4C), pentoses (5C), hexoses (6C) and heptoses (7C).

“Steps to explain the definition of carbohydrates: Sugars vs starches: Q&A guide”

Oligosaccharides

• Oligosaccharides contain 2 to 10 monosaccharide molecules which are liberated on hydrolysis
• Based on the number of monosaccharide units present the oligosaccharides are further subdivided as –
  • Disaccharides (2) – e.g. Maltose
  • Trisaccharides (3) – e.g. Raffinose
  • Tetrasaccharides (4) – e.g. Stachyose
  • Pentasaccharides (5) – e.g. Fondaparinux

“Importance of studying carbohydrates for better health outcomes: Questions explained”

Disaccharides

• Disaccharides are sugars which yield two molecules of the same or different molecules of monosaccharides on hydrolysis e.g. maltose, lactose and sucrose
• Maltose yields two molecules of glucose on hydrolysis
• Lactose yields one molecule of glucose and one molecule of galactose on hydrolysis
• Sucrose yields one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose on hydrolysis

“Common challenges in understanding carbohydrate types effectively: FAQs provided”

Polysaccharides

• Polysaccharides are sugars which yield more than ten molecules of monosaccharides on hydrolysis
• They are of two types
  • Homo-polysaccharides – they are polymers of the same monosaccharide units e.g. – starch, glycogen, inulin, dextrin, dextran and cellulose
  • Hetero-polysaccharides – they are polymers of different monosaccharide units or their derivatives.
    They are also known as mucopolysaccharides or glycosaminoglycans (GAGS) e.g. – keratan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, heparin and hyaluronic acid.