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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates
Introduction yet only those with five or six carbon atoms are
common. Two of the most important ones in foods
Carbohydrates are organic compounds are the six-carbon sugars glucose and fructose.
containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and These have the general formula C6H12O6.
they may be simple or complex molecules. His-
torically, the term “carbohydrate” has been used
to classify all compounds with the general for- Examples of Monosaccharides
mula Cn(H2O)n as the hydrates of carbon. Impor-
tant food carbohydrates include simple sugars, Glucose. Glucose is known as an aldose sugar
dextrins, starches, celluloses, hemicelluloses, because it contains an aldehyde group (CHO)
pectins, and gums. They are an important source located on the first carbon atom of the chain:
of energy or fiber in the diet, and they are also Glucose and an aldehyde group:
important constituents of foods because of their It is conventional to number the carbon atoms
functional properties. Carbohydrates may be along the chain so that the carbon atom with the
used as sweeteners, thickeners, stabilizers, gel- highest number is farthest away from the alde-
ling agents, and fat replacers. hyde (or functional) group. The aldehyde group
The simplest carbohydrates are known as is therefore located on carbon one in glucose
monosaccharides or sugars, and they have the (and in all other aldose sugars). The numbering
general formula CnH2nOn. The most common of the carbon atoms in glucose is shown in
ones contain six carbon atoms. Disaccharides Fig. 3.1.
contain two sugar units, trisaccharides contain Two isomers of glucose exist, which are mirror
three, oligosaccharides contain several units, images of each other, D-glucose and L-glucose. D-
and polysaccharides are complex polymers Glucose is the isomer that occurs naturally.
containing as many as several thousand units In fact, there are two series of aldose sugars,
linked together to form a molecule. These known as the D-series and the L-series, each formed
carbohydrates are discussed in this chapter. by adding CHOH groups to build the carbon chain,
starting from the smallest aldose sugar, which is
D- or L-glyceraldehyde (see Fig. 3.2).
Monosaccharides
Each H─C─OH group within the chain is
Monosaccharides are simple carbohydrates asymmetrical (since the H and OH groups are
containing between three and eight carbon atoms, different). The highest-numbered asymmetric
carbon atom of each D-series sugar has the same
configuration as D-glyceraldehyde, rather than
For use with subsequent Carbohydrate food chapters its L-isomer. In glucose, the highest-numbered
V.A. Vaclavik and E.W. Christian, Essentials of Food Science, 4th Edition, Food Science Text Series, 27
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-9138-5_3, # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
28 3 Carbohydrates in Food: An Introduction
α-D-glucopyranose β-D-glucopyranose
⏐ ⏐
H ___ C ___ OH HO ___ C ___ H
⏐ ⏐
H ___ C ___ OH O H ___ C ___ OH O
⏐ ⏐
HO ___ C ___ H HO ___ C ___ H
⏐ ⏐
H ___ C _____________ H ___ C _____________
⏐ ⏐
H ___ C ___ OH H ___ C ___ OH
⏐ ⏐
CH2OH CH2OH
α-D-glucofuranose β-D-glucofuranose
H OH H OH H OH H OH
which depend on the sugar units that make up the CH2OH CH2OH CH2OH
H OH H OH H OH
H H H H
O O
H H
OH H O OH H
OH
H OH H OH
O
H H H H H H H H
O O O O
H H H H
O OH H O OH H O OH H O OH H
HO
H OH H OH H OH H OH
Cellulose and hemicellulose are structural the roots of various plants and, when hydrolyzed,
polysaccharides that provide support in plant yields fructose.
tissues. They are not digested in the body, so
they do not supply energy. However, they pro-
vide insoluble dietary fiber, which is an impor-
tant part of a healthy, balanced diet. Conclusion
Regarding fiber, food items may make the
claim “good source of fiber” if 2.5–4.9 g of Carbohydrates come in various shapes and sizes,
fiber per serving are present. When 5 g per from small sugar molecules to complex polymers
serving, or more, are present, a food item containing thousands of simple sugar units.
may be labeled “high fiber.” It is recommended The digestible carbohydrates provide energy
by health agencies and Dietary Guidelines (4 cal/g), whereas the indigestible ones are an
for Americans that men should consume 38 g important source of dietary fiber. In addition to
of fiber per day, and that women should con- their nutritional value, carbohydrates are impor-
sume 25 g per day. There is soluble and insoluble tant as thickeners, stabilizers, and gelling agents.
fiber and they are structurally different (see They are used in a wide spectrum of convenience
Chap. 4). foods, and, without them, the range of food
Inulin is a polysaccharide with the general products relished today would be greatly
formula (C6H10O5)n. It is found in tubers and diminished.
36 3 Carbohydrates in Food: An Introduction
Notes
Glossary
Hydroxyl group The ─OH group on the carbon Sugar alcohol The result of reduction of car-
atom. bonyl group to a hydroxyl group.
Invert sugar An equimolar mixture of glucose Supersaturated solution Solution that contains
and fructose, formed by hydrolysis of sucrose, more solute than could normally be dissolved
either by acid and heat, or by enzymes such as at a particular temperature.
invertase or sucrase. Trisaccharide Three sugar units joined
Ketose Sugar containing a ketone group. together by a glycosidic bond.
Maillard reaction (Maillard browning reac-
tion) Nonenzymatic browning reaction Bibliography
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Charley H, Weaver C (1998) Foods. A scientific
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Polysaccharide Many (hundreds or thousands Garrett RH, Grisham CM (2013) Biochemistry, 5th edn.
of) sugar units joined together. Brooks/Cole/Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA
Pyranose Six-membered ring. Hazen C (2012) Fiber files. Food Product Design.
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Reducing sugar Sugar that contains a free car- McWilliams M (2012) Foods: experimental perspectives,
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Reference carbon atom The highest-numbered Penfield MP, Campbell AM (1990) Experimental food
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Potter N, Hotchkiss J (1999) Food science, 5th edn.
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