Carbohydrates

In
Food
What is Carbohydrates?
 consist of C, H and O atoms

 are polyhydroxy ketones, also called hydhydrates

of Carbon

 most abundant and diverse class of organic

cocompounds

 found in a number of foods like fruits, starchy

vegetables like potatoes, grains, milk, dessert,
yogurt etc.
They serve as
 energy source, fuels and metabolic intermediates (starch, fructans,
glycogen).
 part of the structure framework of RNA and DNA
 structural elements in the cell walls of bacteria and plants, and in the
exoskeleton of arthropods (cellulose, chitin, xylans)
 cell recognition moities(glycolipids & glycoproteins) as important
components of cell membranes, serving as probes through which the cell
interacts with its environment.
 Protective substances -some plant cell wall polysaccharides are elicitors
of plant antibiotics (phtoalexins) E.g In soybean, fragments of pectic
polysaccharide (α-4-linked dodecagalacturonide) induces synthesis of a
protein that inhibits insect & microbial proteinases. - Arabinoxylans have
been postulated to inhibit ice formation, thus ensuring winter survival of
cereals
 CLASSIFICATION OF CARBOHYDRATES
 Monosaccharides
simple carbohydrates, cannot be hydrolyzed further into
polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone unit (Ex. glucose, fructose,
galactose)
Glucose, fructose, and galactose
 Oligosaccharides
polymers made up 2 to 10 monosaccharide units joined
together by glycosidic linkages. (Ex. sucrose, lactose, raffinose)
Sucrose, lactose, and raffinose
 Polysaccharides
polymers with hundreds or thousands of
monosaccharide units. They are not sweet in taste
ththerfore called non sugars. Are insoluble in water.
Can be homopolysacchradies or
heteropolysaccharides (Ex. cellulose, glycogen, starch)
Cellulose, glycogen, and starch
 Types of Carbohydrates
Three main types:
 starch (complex carbohydrates)
 sugar
 fiber
 On nutritional level "total carcarbohydrate" includes all three
types, which is useful in carbohydrate counting
 Counting can be done by either adding up grams of total
carbohydrate or adding "carbcarbohydrate units"
1 carbohydrates unit = 15 g of carbohydrate
 is a meal planning tool used in diabetes management to help
optimize blood sugarsugar level
 STARCH
 foods rich iin starch include peas, potatoes, corn, dried beans,
kidney beans, grains like oats,barley and rice
 majority of grainggs products are made from wheat flour like
pasta, bread, chapattis
 Grain group includes
- whole grain
contain the entire grain – which is made up of bran, germ and
endosperm

-refined grain (white grain

have been milled (ground into flour or meal) in a way that removes
the bran and germ
 Grain has three parts:
1. Bran- outer hard shell of the grain, part that provides most
fiber and most of the B vitamin and minerals.

2. Germ- next layer, packed with nutrients and fatty acids along
with vitamin E.

3. Endosperm- soft part in the center of the grain which contains

the starch.

 Refined grain ccontains only endosperm