Nutrition and

Nutrients Healthline.com

2.3, 2.4, D.1

Essential ideas:
Compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are used to supply
and store energy.
Proteins have a very wide range of functions in living organisms.
2.3 Understandings:

• Monosaccharide monomers are linked together

by condensation reactions to form disaccharides and
polysaccharide polymers.
• Fatty acids can be saturated, monounsaturated
or polyunsaturated.
• Unsaturated fatty acids can be cis or trans
isomers.
• Triglycerides are formed by condensation from
three fatty acids and one glycerol.
 2.3 Applications and skills:
Applications:
• Structure and function of cellulose and starch in plants and
glycogen in humans.
• Scientific evidence for health risks of trans fats and saturated fatty
acids.
• Lipids are more suitable for long-term energy storage in humans
than carbohydrates.
• Evaluation of evidence and the methods used to obtain the
evidence for health claims made about lipids.
Skills:
• Use of molecular visualization software to compare cellulose,
starch and glycogen.
• Determination of body mass index by calculation or use of a
nomogram.
2.4 Understandings

• Amino acids are linked together by condensation to form polypeptides.

• There are 20 different amino acids in polypeptides synthesized on
ribosomes.
• Amino acids can be linked together in any sequence giving a huge range
of possible polypeptides.
• The amino acid sequence of polypeptides is coded for by genes.
• A protein may consist of a single polypeptide or more than one
polypeptide linked together.
• The amino acid sequence determines the three-dimensional
conformation of a protein.
• Living organisms synthesize many different proteins with a wide range
of functions.
• Every individual has a unique proteome.
2.4 Applications & Skills

Applications:
• Rubisco, insulin, immunoglobulins, rhodopsin,
collagen and spider silk as examples of the range of
protein functions.
• Denaturation of proteins by heat or by deviation of
pH from the optimum.
Skill:
• Drawing molecular diagrams to show the formation
of a peptide bond.
 Nutrients
• Nutrients are components in foods that an
organism uses to survive and grow
• Generally broken into Macronutrients and
Micronutrients
- Macronutrients - carbohydrates, lipids, proteins:
provide the main energy and building blocks,
required in large amounts
- Micronutrients - vitamins and minerals: provide
the necessary cofactors for metabolism (control
body processes), essential in small amounts
*even water can be considered a nutrient
Macromolecules and their building
blocks
• Carbohydrates (Starches are the Macromolecules)
• Simple Sugars and Polysaccharides
Lipids
• Glycerol and fatty acids
• Nucleic Acids (DNA and RNA)
• Nucleotides
• Proteins
• Amino acids
Carbohydrates

• Produced by plants
• Used for energy, structure, storage
• Always contain (in approx. 1:2:1 ratio…)
• Carbon
• Hydrogen
• Oxygen
• Types
• Simple sugars – monosaccharides and disaccharides
• Polysaccharides
Types of Carbohydrates (memorize
examples)
• Monosaccharides – single unit (mono = 1)
• Eg. glucose, fructose, galactose are all isomers
• Disaccharides – two monosaccharides bonded
• Eg. Sucrose (glucose and fructose), lactose (glucose and
galactose), maltose (two glucose)
• Polysaccharides – more than two sugar units (up to
1000’s)
• Eg. Cellulose, starch (amylose and amylopectin), glycogen
(animal)
 Chain  Ring form
(we only learn the ring form, scroll over & press
play)

From Wikipedia
Glucose isomers - sketch

nzetc.victoria.ac.nz
 Polysaccharides - sketch

From cnx.org – no need to copy with the individual hexagons – just use straight lines.
 Hydrolysis & Condensation of CHO
’s

- converting mono, di, and poly

What would be the formula for a trisaccharide? A pentasaccharide?

What is the name of the bond between two sugar monomers?
Specific roles of carbohydrates

Animals Plants
CHO Function CHO Function

Glucose Used to make ATP (cell Fructose Makes fruits taste sweet
resp) so animals will eat them
(seed dispersal)
Lactose Sugar in milk (energy to
newborns) Sucrose Energy source
Glycogen energy storage (in liver)
Cellulose Component of cell walls
 Tests for Carbohydrates

Iodine Test for Starch

Benedicts Test for Reducing Sugars
•
 Lipids
• Hydrophobic, non-polar,
insoluble in water
• High energy – found in fats and
oils
• More than twice the energy
“density” (per gram) of
carbohydrates due to number
of chemical bonds (efficient
for energy storage)
• Glycerol + fatty acid molecules

Biochemistryquestions.wordpress.com
Functions of Lipids

• Energy storage
• Insulation
• Component of cell membranes (phospholipid)
• Protect organs
• Carriers for fat-soluble vitamin absorption (A,D,E,K)
• Steroid hormone synthesis (ie. Testosterone)
 Types of Lipids - Triglyceride
• Triglyceride
• 1 glycerol +
3 fatty acids
• Fatty acids can be
saturated
saturated, mono,
or poly-
unsaturated
• Fats and oils

unsaturated

glycerol Fatty acids

Hydrolysis and Condensation in lipids: 
3 f.a.’s + 1 glycerol  1 triglyceride + 3
water
Types of Fatty Acids
• Unsaturated fatty acids – at least one double bond between
carbon atoms
• Monounsaturated f.a.’s have 1 C=C double bond

• Polyunsaturated = >1 double bond

• Oils
• Usually Liquid (from plants)
• Reactive, easier to break down (thought of as healthier)
 Types of Fatty Acids, contd.
• Saturated fatty acids – no double bonds between carbon atoms
• Animal fats
• Hard to break down
• solid/semi-solid at room temperature
• Need to be able to draw
 Trans Fats
• Trans fats are made from partially hydrogenating vegetable oils (the H’s
end up on opposite sides of a double bond)
• Many industrial uses (solidifies it for transport and can withstand
repeated heating)
• Originally thought to be healthier than saturated animal fat
• 1981 hypothesized to be linked to heart disease
• Trans fats increase inflammation and LDL (bad) cholesterol and
decrease HDL (good)
• Regulated, especially with food labels
Lipid Test
More Tests for Lipids…
”Fat-o-meter”
Body – Mass – Index Nomogram
Evaluating the health claims about the
benefits of fat in diets 
• Homework for discussion on Monday – Can fats be healthy?  Are
there differing opinions?
 Enzymes – biological catalyst (ie. Rubisco in
photosynthesis)

Proteins – Antibodies – immunoglobulins

living Hormones – insulin

organisms
synthesize Pigments – rhodopsin in vision

many Structure – spider silk, collagen in skin

different 50% of dry weight of organisms

ones
Synthesized as polypeptides on ribosomes
Proteomics

• The entire collection of a species’ proteins is

the proteome.
• Every individual has a unique proteome.
• Proteomics is the study of the structure,
function, and interaction of cellular proteins.
Video – Introduction to proteomics (7 min -
will make more sense in Bio 30)
3-D visualization of proteins
 Amino Acid (Sketch and memorize)

• Building blocks of proteins

• ~20 kinds in human proteins, ~8-9 are
“essential”
• Contain nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen
Hydrolysis and condensation in proteins to
show formation of peptide bond
 Proteins – 3-D conformation (ie. Shape)
• 1o (primary) structure – huge variety, coded by
genes (DNA), determines all levels below
• Amino acid sequence (includes size of polypeptide and
type of aa’s)
• 2o (secondary) – interactions of functional groups
• Hydrogen bonds (alpha helix or beta sheet only)
• 3o (tertiary) – interactions of side chains (R groups)
• Hydrogen, ionic, covalent bonds (including disulfide
bridges) cause additional folding
• 4o (quaternary) – interactions of polypeptides
• More than one tertiary polypeptide makes the protein
Levels of Protein Structure
 Tests for Proteins
• Biuret Test
- Tests for peptide bond
Proteins “work” because of shape (3-D structure)
Proteins have an optimal pH range (not always
“neutral”) and temperature (not necessarily body
temperature)
• Denaturation: proteins change shape and lose
their function due to a change in conditions
(usually irreversible even if the conditions are
returned to optimal)

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