Classification of Carbohydrates: Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, and Polysaccharides Explained

Classification of carbohydrates
Answer.

Definition Of Carbohydrates

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

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Classification Of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are classified into 3 groups:

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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).

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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

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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

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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

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