Biochemistry

WEEK NUMBER / SOURCES

Oxidizing and Reducing

Agents
Sugar substitutes
• Provide virtually no calories are now used extensively as
a solution to the sucrose problem
o Since sucrose adds pounds to the body frame
• Two of the most widely used sugar substitutes are
saccharin and aspartame

Sugar Substitutes
Saccharin - It is the oldest of artificial sweeteners,
used for more than 100 years
- Caused bladder tumors in rats
- FDA proposes of banning saccharin
- 300 times sweeter than sucrose
Aspartame - NutraSweet
- It tastes like sucrose but 180 times
sweeter
- Not heat stable and cannot be used in
product that require cooking
- It loses its sweetness when heated
- The safety lies with its hydrolysis
product:
o Amino acid- identical to those
obtained from digestion of protein
o Phenylalanine- it is an amino acid
that can leads to mental
retardation among young children
suffering from PKU (Phenylketonuria)
Sucralose - Approved by the FDA 1990
- Derivative of sucrose
- It is synthesized from sucrose by
substitution of 3 chlorine atom for
hydroxyl groups.
- It is heat stable and can be used for
cooking
- 600 times sweeter than sucrose and have
similar taste.
- Calorie free because it cannot be
hydrolyzed as it passes through the Sugar alternatives
digestive tract. Substitute Year Relative Stability Derivative
Neotame - Approved in 2002 as general-purpose when sweetness with heat
sweetener the PDA (sucrose=1)
- Heat stable, and can be used baked approved
goods, frostings, frozen dessert etc. Saccharin Banned 300 Not Not
- Sweetness 7000 times greater than 1977 mentioned mentioned
sucrose Aspartame 1981 180 Not heat Identical
- It is aspartame derivative, the same 2 4 kcal/g stable from
amino acid are present digestion
- 3,3 dimethylbutyl group is attached to of protein
the terminal NH2 group of aspartames.
Sucralose 1990 600 Heat Sucrose
This bulky attachment prevents the
stable
breakdown of neotame into its
Neotame 2002 7000 Heat aspartame
component amino acid, as occurs for
stable
aspartame

k.rayos 1
 Biochemistry
WEEK NUMBER / SOURCES

Other types of glycosidic linkage Reduction

• decrease in oxidation number
Types of glycosidic linkage • oxidation can never take place without reduction
glycosidic linkage Carbohydrate because something must be able to pick up the
1-4 - Maltose electron lost by the oxidized atom, ion, or
- Cellobiose compound. Free electrons cannot exist by
- lactose themselves for very long.
1-2 - sucrose

Oxidation
• loss of electron
- the sodium atom has one outer electron, when
NA atom loses this electron, it forms a sodium
ion with a +1 charge
• it is an increase in oxidation number
o Na increase in oxidation number from 0-
+1 it was the oxidized. At the same time
the Cl decrease from 0 to -1. There for
the Cl was reduces
• Gain of electrons

• The chlorine atoms have 7 outer electrons and it

gains one electron to form chlorine ion with
- uncombined element has an oxidation number of charge of -1. A
zero. The oxidation amount of sodium in sodium
chloride is +1 and that of chlorine is -1

• Glucose is oxidized because the carbon atoms

change in oxidation numbers 0 to 4. However, at
o the upper numbers indicate the the same time, the oxygen changes from 0 to -2
respective oxidation numbers of the a decrease in oxidation number.
substances. The NA has changed in • Loss of oxygen
oxidation number from zero to +1, a gain
and that is oxidation.
- The cells in the body burn “glucose”, producing
carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
• Gain of oxygen

o The oxidation number of each carbon Reaction Oxidation Reduction Definition

atom in glucose is zero. The oxidation Na + Cl→ Na+ Cl- • Loss and gain
number of the carbon atom in carbon Na+ + Cl- electron
dioxide is +4. Therefore, the carbon 2Na + Cl2 → +1 Na -1 Cl • Increase and
atom increased in oxidation number. 2Na + 2Cl decrease of
• Addition of oxygen electron
C6H12O6 + 6O2 +4-2 -2 • Increase and
→ 6 CO2 6 H2O decrease of
6 CO2 + 6 H2O electron
• removal of oxygen + energy
2HCHO + O2 → + O2 • Addition of
2HCOOH oxygen
formaldehyde –
• ethanol is changed to acetaldehyde formic Acid
• the following oxidation reaction takes place in the body

k.rayos 2
 Biochemistry
WEEK NUMBER / SOURCES

Oxidizing agents and Reducing agents

Reducing agent - The substance that causes the
reduction of an element or
compound
Oxidizing agent - Defined as a substance that
causes the oxidation of some
element of some element or
compound

o Lead decreases in oxidation number from

+2 to 0. Therefore, the lead was reduced
• Hydrogen as reducing agent
- The hydrogen supplied the electrons so that the
lead could be reduced
- At the same time, the hydrogen gained from the
oxidation from 0 to +1. Therefore, the hydrogen
was oxidized.
• Lead and oxygen as oxidizing agent
- The PbO picked up the electrons
NOTE
Whatever is oxidized is the reducing agent
and whatever reduced is the oxidizing
agent

k.rayos 3