Types of Carbohydrates - 1

Monosaccharides

Disaccharides

Oligosaccharides

Polysaccharides

Simple sugars

eg - Glucose, Fructose, Galactose

Made of two monosaccharides

eg - Maltose, Sucrose, Lactose

Made of 3 to 10 monosaccharides

eg - Raffinose, Stachyose

Made of long chains of monosaccharides

eg - Starch, Glycogen, Dietary fiber, Dextrin

Glucose: Also called blood sugar or dextrose

It serves as energy source for the body

Most of the carbohydrates we eat are converted to glucose in the body

Prepared commercially as “Corn Syrup

Fructose - also called as “Fruit Sugar

Sweetest natural sugar

Found in many fruits and honey

Galactose - Obtained from the breakdown of the disaccharide Lactose

Does not occur alone in nature

Sucrose = Glucose + Fructose

Also known as Cane sugar/Table sugar

Made from sugar cane, sugar beet

Maltose = Glucose + Glucose

Also called Malt Sugar

Produced by the fermentation of grains

Present in malted drinks, breakfast cereals, malt whiskey etc

Lactose = Glucose + Galactose

Commonly called milk sugar

Low level of sweetness

Glucose is the only source of energy for brain and central nervous system