BT18304-Biochemistry (Theory)

B. Tech II Year III Sem

Session 4: Importance of polysaccharides
(Starch and Glycogen) in

By
Dr. K. Ganesh Prasath
Assistant Professor
Department of Biotechnology
 Polysaccharides
 Compound sugars
 Yield more than 10 molecules of
monosaccharides on hydrolysis.
 Their general formula is (C6H10O5)x
polysaccharides

Starch, Glycogen, Inulin,

Hydrolysis of

Homopolysaccharides Cellulose, Pectin, Chitin

Heteropolysaccharides
pneumococcus type III,
Hyaluronic acid, Chondrotin.
 Starch
• Reserve food material of the higher plants
• Cereals, legumes, potatoes and other vegetables.
• More than half the carbohydrate ingested by humans is starch.
• Commonly available starch like Sago starch - sago palm
(Meteroxylon rumphii), the arrowroot - Maranta arundinacea and
the tapioca - Manihot utillissima.
• Present inside the plant cells as compact insoluble granules.
 Starch

• 15–20 % of starch
• 80–85 % of starch
• Long unbranched
• Branched chain
straight-chain
polysaccharide
component
 - amylose
• Glycosidic OH group of one α-D-glucose molecule and
alcoholic OH group on carbon 4 of the adjacent α-D-
glucose molecule.
• Molecular weight range of 10,000 to 50,000
• The linkage in amylose is an α-1, 4-glucoside,
similarly in maltose.
• Enzymic hydrolysis of amylose with amylase, yields
maltose
• Amylose may be considered as an anhydride of α-D-
glucose units.
- amylose
 β-amylose (or) amylopectin
• Molecular weight range of 50,000 to 1,000,000 with 300–5,500
glucose units per molecule.
• Basic chain of α-1, 4-glucoside linkage (Similar to amylose) and in
addition, many side chains attached to the basic chain by α-1, 6-
glucoside linkages.
• The glucose units have 3 points namely at carbon atoms 1,4 and 6
to serve as branching points.
 Properties - Starch
• white soft amorphous powder and lacks sweetness.
• Insoluble in water, alcohol and ether at ordinary temperature.
• On partial hydrolysis by boiling with water under pressure at about 250°C,
breaks down into large fragments called dextrins.
• Highly hydrated - exposed hydroxyl groups
 Hydrolysis - Starch
 α-amylase hydrolyzes the linear amylose chain by attacking α (1→
4) linkages - a mixture of maltose and glucose.

 Amylopectin - attacked by α- and β-amylases, on α (1 → 4)

glycosidic bonds branching point and the α (1 → 6) bond itself
are hydrolyzed by α (1→ 6) glucosidase.
 Hydrolysis - Starch

 Amylopectin can also be attacked by α- and β-amylases, on α (1 → 4)

glycosidic bonds branching point and the α (1 → 6) bond itself are
hydrolyzed by α (1→ 6) glucosidase.
 The combined action of α-amylase and the α (1 → 6) glucosidase will
hydrolyze amylopectin to a mixture of glucose and maltose.
 Hydrolyzed by mineral acid with the final production of glucose.
 It is also called as glucosan, which yields only glucose on hydrolysis.
 Hydrolysis of starch is interrupted early, dextrins are formed.
 Glycogen

o ‘Animal starch’
o Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles of animals.
 Glycogen

o It is especially abundant in the liver where it may

attain up to 7% of the wet weight.
o Occurs as particles much smaller than the starch
grains.
o Glycogen is a branched-chain polysaccharide and
resembles amylopectin but has somewhat more
glucose residues per molecule
 Properties- Glycogen

• White powder and is more soluble in water than amylopectin.

• Forms suspension
• Addition of ethyl alcohol – Precipitated and is fairly stable in hot alkali.
• Nonreducing sugar and gives red colour with iodine.
• Red colour – disappear at high temperature
- appear at low temperature
 Hydrolysis - Glycogen
 On incomplete hydrolysis with α-1,4-glucanmaltohydrolase,
glycogen yields maltose.
 However, the acids completely hydrolyze it into glucose.