Martin Skam

Biology

Starch, Glycogen,
Cellulose
 STARCH
Is
Is aa lo long
ng ch chai
aine
nedd popoly lym merer mmad adee up
up of of GGluluco
cose
so
sour ce s of se((α)
α) m mol olec
ecul
ules
es.. St
Stararchch isis on
urces of calorica lo es fo r
ries for human hu m an s.
s. T
Th he st ru ct ur e is onee ofof th
thee pr
primimararyy
lin e st ru ct ur e is no
no t
t al
al w ay s th e sa m
lineaearr anandd cocoile
iled,
d, bu
butt sosom metet im es it br an ch
ways the same, e, so
sommetetim
imeses in
in aa
di ss im es it br an ch es
es of
of f,
f, w
w hi
hi ch
ch m ak es it ha
dissol olvevedd inin wwatater
er,, un makes it hard rd foforr it
it to
to be
unle lessss th
th ee lo
lo ng
ng ch
ch ai
ai ns
ns ’
’ gl
gl yc
yc os id ic bo nd s
be
m on
monom omer ers. os id ic bo ar e
nds are brokenbr ok en do
dow
s. wnn ininto
to sm
smal alle
lerr
If he
If heat at isis ad
adde
ded,d, th
then
en th thee bobondndss araree mmororee ea
easi
do w
down th n e bo sily
ly brbrok
oken en,, as
as th
thereree isis mmororee en
nd
the bonds betws be ee n m
tween monomer on om er s.
s. enerergy
gy toto br
brea
eakk
Th is
This inso in solulubi
bilit y is
lity is ususefefulul as
as plplan
ants
ts us
usee StStar
arch
ch to
w he n
when it is it ne to st
sto orree an
andd ththenen toto coconvnverertt in
ed ed
is needed. The . T br an ch
he branched ef ed ef fe
fe ct
ct is us ef ul be into
to en
ener
ergy
gy
ea sy
easy to brto is us ef ul be ca
ca us
us e
e w
wh he n th e pl an
en the plantt ne
brea
eakk ofofff sm
smal alll teterm
rm in
in al
al gl
gl uc os e m on om neededss en
enerergy
gy,, it
it is
is
sta rc h m uc os e m on om er
er s,
s, as
as th
th ey
ey ar e th e ex cr em
starch mol ec ul e an d
olecule and aree th ar ther
eref
ar e th e ex cr em en ts of
ents of theth e
pl an efororee na
natutura
ra llyw
lly weeaakkeerr,, an
an d
d so ea si er fo
plant. t. so ea r it
sier for it to beto be us
useded byby th
thee
W e kn
We know th ow that
at SSta
tarc
rchh isis hihigh
ghlyly cocoil
iled
ed,, at
at ti
tim
lo t m or e co meses,, an
andd is is sto
storreed
d inin th
thee P Plan
lant,
lot more com pa ct an
mpact and ther d th ef or e m or
erefore moree su ite d to t, th
this
is mmakakes
es it
it aa
it ’s
suited to it’s sto ra ge fu
storage functio nc tion.n.
GLYCOGEN

Glycogen is another Glucose(α) polymer. Glycogen is a stored source of energy, found

in the Liver of Humans. Glycogen is different from Starch and Cellulose in that
Glucose chains are always forked, or branched, and not fibred or coiled. Glycogen
is a like Starch in the sense that it is storage Carbohydrate, however it is found in
animals. Starch, on the other hand, is a storage Carbohydrate found in plants. Both
of these are polymers of glucose however.
The Human body stores enough glycogen to provide sugar to blood for 24-36 hours
during fasting.
Like some forms of starch, Glycogen is branched, and follows the same suit as starch
in the sense that it is useful for it to be branched, as small terminal glucose
molecules can be broken off easier than if it were coiled. This is useful if the body
is to be provided with constant energy levels, and not exhausted one minute, and
energized the next.
 CELLULOSE
is a another natural, carbohydrate and is also a
polymer of Glucose(β). Out of the 3, Cellulose
is the only polymer formed by (β) Glucose
Molecules, as opposed to (α). Cellulose is
insoluble and most animals cannot digest
cellulose for example, humans.
Cellulose is in a linear shape, that form hexagon
shaped chains. This gives the plant rigidity
and structural support, there are hydrogen
atoms in between the glucose molecules,
which further strengthen the plant with their
positive charge.