1A 3 Carbohydrates 2

Polysaccharides
AS BIOLOGY
SHAMEELAH R. BALKHI
α glucose – starch and glycogen – storage molecules
β glucose – cellulose – structural molecule
- Hydrolysis splits the glycosidic bond between two glucose molecules
- Hydrolysis takes place during digestion in the gut and in muscle and liver cells

- Starch and glycogen are gradually broken down by hydrolysis into shorter and
shorter chains, eventually single sugars are left
- The released sugars are then further broken down to produce ATP during cellular
respiration
 Carbohydrates and Energy
Every chemical reaction taking place in a cell needs energy
Energy is supplied by ATP
ATP comes from the breakdown of glucose, in a series of
reactions, using oxygen (cellular respiration)
Glucose  CO2 + H2O + ATP

Glucose – absorbed by cells and used directly

Other mono and disaccharides:

- easily absorbed in body and converted to glucose
- relatively instant energy
- cannot be used to store energy because
- chemically active
- soluble in water so affect the water balance of cells
 Great as energy storage molecules
because:
Polysaccharides
- they form very compact molecules
which take up little space
- physically and chemically inactive
so do not interfere with other
functions of the cell
- not very soluble in water so do not
affect water potential of cell and
cause no osmotic water movements

Polysaccharides:

- Do not have the sweet taste of

mono and disaccharides
- Molecules with between 3 and 10
sugar units – oligosaccharides
- Molecules containing 11 or more
monosaccharides are called true
polysaccharides
Starch

• Energy store in plants

• Storage organs, e.g. sweet potatoes (yams), particularly rich in starch
• Is a mixture of two compounds: amylose and amylopectin
Amylose and Amylopectin
• Both made of α glucose entirely
Amylose
- between 200 and 5000 units of α glucose
- molecule spirals becoming more compact
- 1,4 linkages only
Amylopectin
- branched polymer of α glucose
- 1,4 and 1,6 linkages
- many terminal glucose units that can be broken off
rapidly for energy release

Why carbohydrate foods like rice, roti and pasta are so

good for us when doing sports or hard physical work:
Amylopectin releases glucose rapidly
Amylose releases glucose more slowly over time, keeping
you going longer
Glycogen
• Energy storage molecule in animals
• The only carbohydrate energy store
in animals
• We consume starch but store as
glycogen
• Important storage molecule in fungi
• α glucose units
• 1,4 and 1,6
• More branched than amylopectin
(more 1,6)
• Releases energy quicker than
amylopectin (more terminal ends)
• Animals require rapid release of
energy at times of high activity
1A.3 Carbohydrates 2 – Polysaccharides

1 Sucrose (a disaccharide) is easily broken down to form glucose. Glucose has a chemical structure
which means it can be broken down completely with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water and
ATP which supplies the energy needed in the chemical reactions in cells. These sugars are not suitable
for long-term storage because they are too chemically active and because they are very soluble in water,
so they will affect the water balance of the cell.

2 Starch is formed from amylose, which is a straight-chain molecule, and amylopectin, which is a
branched-chain molecule. Both are formed from alpha glucose molecules joined by 1-4 or 1-6 glycosidic
bonds, and result in compact globular molecules. Cellulose is formed from beta glucose molecules held
together by 1-4 glycosidic bonds. As a result, cellulose has hydroxyl molecules sticking out on either side
of the molecule, so hydrogen bonds form easily between the individual, long, straight chain molecules,
holding them together and making cellulose very strong. Animals can digest starch, breaking it down
into glucose, which can be used in cellular respiration. Most animals do not make the enzymes needed
to digest cellulose, so it is not usually an energy providing food for animals unless their digestive system
contains bacteria that do have the enzymes needed to break down the cellulose molecules into glucose.