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Carbohydrates are a biological molecule or macromolecule involved in functions such as energy production and storage and plant and arthropod structure. Take 2 minutes and learn about it! Complete with monosaccharide, disaccharide, and polysaccharide examples.
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Thanks for stopping by. This is 2 Minute Classroom, and today we are talking about carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are a macromolecule made up of Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio, so there is one carbon for every two hydrogens and one oxygen in all carbohydrates. They are also known as sugars and have several key functions in living organisms: Rapid energy production through glycolysis, energy storage as glycogen in animals and starch in plants, and a structural component of plants as cellulose and crustaceans and insects as chitin.
The simplest form of carbohydrates are called Monosaccharides. Mono means “one” and saccharide means “sugar” so a monosaccharide is a single carbohydrate molecule. Examples include glucose, an important simple sugar that is a key energy source in living organisms and the core of many structural carbohydrates. Fructose is the sugar found in many fruits. Galactose is a sugar found in yogurt and is less sweet than fructose and glucose, and Ribose is monosaccharide that helps form DNA.
You are probably also familiar with some disaccharides, which are two monosaccharides chemically bound together. Examples include Sucrose, which is common table sugar and as formed from glucose and fructose, and Lactose is the sweetener in milk formed from galactose and glucose. People who are lactose intolerant have low levels of the protein lactase, which breaks down lactose, and if they can’t break down lactose, your stomach will be upset.
When more than two monosaccharides are combined, a polysaccharide is formed. Starch, glycogen, and cellulose are all examples of polysaccharides, and they are all made of the same monomer, glucose. The way the glucose is bound together determines whether the resulting saccharide is starch, glycogen, or cellulose.
Needless to say, carbohydrates are pretty important. Hopefully, this video helped you understand why.
If you have additional questions or just want to make a statement, please refer to the comment section.
If you want to learn more about macromolecules, check out my videos on proteins, lipids, and amino acids.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you next time!