Classification of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are classified into mono, di, oligo and polysaccharides. There are six naturally occurring carbohydrates of interest in foods -glucose, fructose (monosaccharides- are simplest form of carbohydrate and can not be hydrolyzed further.); sucrose, maltose and lactose (disaccharides) and starch (polysaccharide). Simple carbohydrates (sugars) are crystalline solids and water-soluble. • Glucose (also called Dextrose /grape sugar/ corn sugar) is the simplest monosaccharide and is widely available in nature. It is the major energy fuel for the human body. • Fructose (also known as Levulose / fruit sugar) is about twice sweeter than sucrose. It is used as sweetener by diabetics or obese people. It is also observed that fructose does not require insulin hormone for utilization. • Maltose (Malt sugar) – is an intermediate product of starch digestion. It is also present in malted and fermented grains. Maltose (malt sugar) on hydrolysis yields two glucose units. • Sucrose on hydrol...