The three types of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates definition and classification:

Carbohydrates, which comprise one of the three basic classes of foodstuffs, contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Their general formula, C_n(H₂O)_m, is the basis for their name. They can be classified as

a. Monosaccharides:

Which cannot be broken down chemically to simpler carbohydrates. The most familiar monosaccharides contain either six carbon atoms per molecule (glucose, fructose, galactose,..) or five (ribose, arabinose,….).

b. Disaccharides: which are dimers formed when two monosaccharide units combine with the elimination of H₂O. The monosaccharides may be the same (two glucose units in maltose) or different (a glucose and fructose unit in sucrose).

c. Polysaccharides, which are condensation polymers containing from several hundred to several thousand monosaccharide units. Cellulose and starch are the most common polysaccharides.