UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES FOUNDATION

Cebu City

College of Arts and Sciences

Chemistry/Biochemistry

INSTRUCTOR: DR. MA. CECILIA B. BOOC

I. MODULE 1.01 (CARBOHYDRATES: Types of Carbohydrates)

II. OVERVIEW/INTRODUCTION

We begin our study of biochemistry with the carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are produced in plants by photosynthesis. Natural carbohydrate
sources such as grains and cereals, breads, sugar cane, fruits, milk, and honey
are an important source of energy for animals. Carbohydrates include simple
sugars having the general formula (CH 2O)n, as well as long polymers of these
simple sugars, for instance potato starch, and a variety of molecules of
intermediate size.
The simple sugar glucose, C 6H12O6, is the primary energy source for the
brain and nervous system and can be used by many other tissues. When
“burned” by cells for energy, each gram of carbohydrate releases approximately
four kilocalories of energy.
A healthy diet should contain both complex carbohydrates, such as
starches and cellulose, and simple sugars, such as fructose and sucrose.
However, the quantity of simple sugars, especially sucrose, should be minimized
because large quantities of sucrose in the diet promote obesity and tooth decay.
Complex carbohydrates are better for us than the simple sugars. Starch,
found in rice, potatoes, breads, and cereals, is an excellent energy source. In
addition, the complex carbohydrates, such as cellulose, provide us with an
important supply of dietary fiber.
It is hard to determine exactly what percentage of the daily diet should
consist of carbohydrates. The actual percentage varies widely throughout the
world, from 80% in the Far East, where rice is the main component of the diet,
to 40–50% in the United States. Currently, it is recommended that 45–65% of
the calories in the diet should come from carbohydrates and that no more than
10% of the daily caloric intake should be sucrose.
III. LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this module, a student should be able to:

a. Explain the difference between complex and simple carbohydrates and
know the amounts of each recommended in the daily diet.
b. Apply the systems of classifying and naming monosaccharides
according to the functional group and number of carbons in the chain.

IV. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

What’s on your mind?

Direction: In your own understanding, write your idea on the space provided for.

What is the current recommendation for the amount of carbohydrates that

should be included in the diet? Of the daily intake of carbohydrates, what
percentage should be simple sugar?

Monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose are the simplest

carbohydrates because they contain a single(mono-) sugar(saccharide) unit.
Disaccharides, including sucrose and lactose, consist of two monosaccharide
units joined through bridging oxygen atoms. Such a bond is called a glycosidic
bond. Oligosaccharides consist of three to ten monosaccharide units joined by
glycosidic bonds. The largest and most complex carbohydrates are the
polysaccharides, which are long, often highly branched, chains of
monosaccharides. Starch, glycogen, and cellulose are all examples of
polysaccharides.
Monosaccharides

Monosaccharides are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and

most are characterized by the general formula (CH 2O)n, in which n is any integer
from 3 to 7. As we will see, this general formula is an oversimplification because
several biologically important monosaccharides are chemically modified. For
instance, several blood group antigen and bacterial cell wall monosaccharides are
substituted with amino groups. Many of the intermediates in carbohydrate
metabolism carry phosphate groups. Deoxyribose, the monosaccharide found in
DNA, has one fewer oxygen atom than the general formula above would predict.

Monosaccharides can be named on the basis of the functional groups they

contain. A monosaccharide with a ketone (carbonyl) group is a ketose. If an
aldehyde (carbonyl) group is present, it is called an aldose. Because
monosaccharides also contain many hydroxyl groups, they are sometimes called
polyhydroxyaldehydes or polyhydroxyketones.

Another
system of

nomenclature tells us the number of carbon atoms in the main skeleton. A three-
carbon monosaccharide is a triose, a four-carbon sugar is a tetrose, a five-carbon
sugar is a pentose, a six-carbon sugar is a hexose, and so on. Combining the two
naming systems gives even more information about the structure and
composition of a sugar. For example, an aldotetrose is a four-carbon sugar that
is also an aldehyde.
What’s on your mind?

Direction: In your own understanding, write your idea on the space provided for.

What is the structural difference between an aldose and a ketose?

Explain the difference between:

a. A ketohexose and an aldohexose
b. A triose and a pentose
V. ASSESSMENT/S
Carbohydrates Worksheet
1. Organic molecules all contain the element
_______________________________________________________________
2. What element(s) are in carbohydrates?
_______________________________________________________________
3. Plants use this polysaccharide to make their cell walls.
_______________________________________________________________
4. True or False Carbohydrates are joined together by peptide bonds.
5. True or False A disaccharide is an example of a carbohydrate.
6. True or False Monosaccharides are made of polysaccharides.
7. True or False Monosaccharides have to be broken down many times during
digestion.
8. True or False Polymers are made of monomers.
9. True or False Polysaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates
10. _____________________ Carbohydrates provide quick/instant energy while
___________________ carbohydrates provide long term energy.
11. _____________________ is the most common type of Carbohydrate in our
diets. (Found in bread/potatoes)
12. Give an example of a type of monosaccharide
_______________________________________________________________
a. What food can this be found in?
_______________________________________________________________
VI. OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES/RESOURCE

Cryptic carbohydrates

Direction: Fill in the blank spaces with the appropriate terms to complete the
sentences. Solve the hidden message by entering the boxed letters in the spaces
at the bottom of the page.

1. ⃣ __ __ __ __ __ __ are identical in chemical composition but differ

structurally.
2. ⃣ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ is a polymer of glucose and serves as a source
of dietary fibre for humans.
3. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ⃣ __ are an inexpensive and widely
available source of energy for our bodies.
4. __ __ ⃣ __ __ __ __ is a disaccharide found in cow’s milk.
5. __ __ __ ⃣ __ __ __ is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose.
6. __ ⃣ __ __ __ __ is a starch that has gelling properties and is used in
making jams and preserves.
7. Glucose is a __ __ __ __ __ ⃣ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
8. The ⃣ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ reaction is a non-enzymatic browning
reaction that occurs when foods are roasted or baked.
9. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ bonds chemically join two or more
monosaccharide molecules.
10. Carbohydrates that are the primary products of plants.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

HIDDEN MESSAGE:
A polysaccharide called carrageenan is a seaweed extract. Carrageenan is used
as a stabiliser in what popular frozen dessert product?
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __