Question

Describe the classification of carbohydrates giving examples for each class.

Answer 1

The classification of carbohydrates (Carbs) is mainly based on their chemical structure and physiologic function. They are defined as defined as aldehydic or ketonic compounds with some number of oxydrilic groups.
Three major classes of carbohydrates can be defined:
- Monosaccharides or simply sugars are formed by only one polyhydroxy aldehydeidic or ketonic unit (D-glucose);
- Oligosaccharides are formed by short chains of monosaccharidic units (from 2 to 20) linked one to the next by chemical bounds, called glycosidic bounds (sucrose, lactose, maltose);
- Polysaccharides are polymers consisting of 20 to 107 monosaccharidic units (starch, glycogen, hyaluronic acid).