1. What is a glycosidic bond?

- Glycosidic bond is a covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate to another functional group
or molecule, a covalent chemical bond that holds together a glycoside. A glycoside is simply
a ring-shaped sugar molecule that is attached to another molecule. They are in the sugar
that we eat, the trunks of trees, the hard exoskeleton of lobsters, and even in our DNA.
Glycosidic bonds are important for the structure of all these substances and many others.
2. Differentiate between potato starch and corn starch?
- Corn starch has uses in cooking and baking to help thicken, blend, and stabilize foods. It
contains mostly starch, which is very high in calories and carbohydrates, and it has little
nutritional content. Corn starch can also handle high temperatures. While Potato starch is
made from refined starch that has been extracted from potatoes. Like other root starches,
potato starch thickens at lower temperatures. It is a resistant starch, so it does not get
digested in the stomach or small intestine. Resistant starch does not cause the spike in
blood sugar or insulin that other starches cause. It also has significant amounts of vitamin
B6 and various minerals. Both starches produce a thickened liquid that is clearer than
liquids thickened with wheat flour; however, potato starch will be the clearer of the two.
Liquids thickened with corn starch will still be slightly opaque.
3. What are the components of starch?
- The components of starch are Amylose and Amylopectin. They both consist of polymers of
α-D-glucose units in the C1 configuration. They differ in structures since Amylose is not
highly branched while Amylopectin is highly branched.
4. Determine the glycosidic bond/s present in each component?
- Starch is made up of glucose monomers that are joined by α 1-4 or α 1-6 glycosidic bonds.
The numbers 1-4 and 1-6 refer to the carbon number of the two residues that have joined
to form the bond. Amylose is composed of unbranched chains of glucose monomers
connected by α 1,4 glycosidic linkages., whereas Amylopectin is composed of branched
chains of glucose monomers connected by α 1,4 and α 1,6 glycosidic linkages.