STARCH

Group 1
 Starch
•A polysaccharide - long chains of sugar
molecules linked together like a chain
•A single sugar molecule is a
monosaccharide.
•starch is considered a homosaccharide, a
chain of sugars made of one type of
molecule.
 Glucose
•Specifically, starch is composed of the
sugar glucose.
•Glucose is made up of C, H, and O with a
basic chemical formula of C6H12O6
•Plants store extra glucose in the form of
starch for use when they aren't
photosynthesizing
Monosaccharide, Polysaccharide, Homosaccharide
 Starch Formula
•If you want to hold hands with
someone, you can't be holding
anything else. Similarly, the glucose
molecule has to empty its hand by
letting go of H and O in order to hold
hands with another glucose molecule.
The H and O are given off as water.
Starch Structure
 Starch Formula

where n is the number of glucose molecules in the chain

 Forms of Starch
•Starch is a chain of glucose molecules,
but the chain isn't always straight.
Sometimes, the sugar molecules branch
off from the main chain and form their
own, just like a tree has a main trunk and
then branches. As such, starch actually
has two forms: one form has no branches
while the other form does.
 Amylose
•The branchless form of starch
 Amylopectin
•The branched form of starch
 Starch Sources
•Starch is the most common
carbohydrate in the human diet and is
contained in many staple foods. The
major sources of starch intake
worldwide are the cereals (rice,
wheat, and maize) and the root
vegetables (potatoes and cassava).
 Functions of Starch
•Starch is the main way plant cells store
energy in the form of glucose.
•Starch is a very important source of
sugars in our diet.
•When amylopectin is broken down, it can
be used to make glue or paste.
•One of the bio-batteries in development
uses starch as fuel.