Definition of Carbohydrates and Their Classification
Definition of Carbohydrates - Classification, Function, Source, Testing, Qualitative, Quantitative, Example: Carbohydrate is a compound consisting of molecules of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) or carbon and hydrate (H2O) so that they are called carbohydrate.
Definition of Carbohydrates
The word carbohydrate or often called charcoal hydrate is a calorie-producing substance with a calorie number 4. Carbohydrate is a food substance that contains an element C (Carbon), H (Hydrogen), and O (Oxygen).
Carbohydrates are broken down into a very simple sugar molecule such as glucose, fructose, and galactose in a digestive system. This sugar molecule is absorbed by the body.
Excess carbohydrates will be stored in a liver or muscle to form a glycogen and in the stomach area, around the kidneys, or under the skin in the form of fat. Foods that are a source of carbohydrate energy include rice, wheat, corn, cassava, sago, potatoes, bread, and sweet potatoes.
Carbohydrate Classification
Carbohydrates can be classified into two (2) types, namely simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates or can also be three (3) types, i.e.
1. Monosaccharides or Monosacrose
Monosaccharides are derived from Greek namely mono = one and sacchron = sugar. Monosaccharides can also be called simple sugars. Monosaccharides are compounds that have an aldehyde group or free ketones. Monosaccharides are simple sugars that cannot be hydrolyzed.
The general formula is Cn (H2O) n or CnH2nOn. Monosaccharides are divided into thirosa, tertrosa, pentose, hexose, heptose etc., and also as aldose or ketose depending on whether they contain aldehydes or ketone groups.
Example: monosaccharides are Fructose, Erithrulosa, ribulose.
2. Oligosaccharides or Oligosakarosa
The word Oligosaccharide is derived from the Greek word Oligo, which means little. Oligosaccharides are sugar compounds that produce 2 to 10 molecules of the same or different monosaccharides in a hydrolysis.
Oligosaccharides produce 2 monosaccharide molecules in hydrolysis known as disaccharides, and which produce 3 or 4 monosaccharides each known as trisaccharides and tetracaccharides and so on. The general formula of disaccharide is Cn (H2O) n-1 and trisaccharide is Cn (H2O) n-2 and so on.
Example: disaccharides are sucrose, lactose, maltose etc.
3. Polysaccharides or Polysacchoses
The word Polysaccharide is derived from the Greek, which is poly which means a lot.
A polysaccharide is a complex sugar and produces more than 10 monosaccharide molecules on hydrolysis and is divided depending on a type of molecule produced as a result of hydrolysis. monosaccharides of the same type or heteropolysaccharides ie, a monosaccharide of various types. General formula (C6H10O5) x.
Example: homopolysaccharides are starch, glycogen, cellulose, pectin.
Carbohydrate Function
There are many functions of carbohydrates in their application in the food industry, pharmaceuticals and in everyday human life. Among the functions and uses are:
1. For the body's main energy source
Carbohydrates are for the body's main energy source and have the main function which has a role as the body's energy supply, every gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories.
2. Energy reserves in muscles and liver
Its function is for the presence of carbohydrates in the human body, some of which is present in the blood as glucose for a body's energy, carbohydrates found in the liver and muscle tissue which are converted into glycogen, and some of the kabohydrate is converted to fat and stored in a muscle tissue that functions as a reserve body energy.
3. To facilitate digestion
Carbohydrates also function to facilitate intestinal peristalsis and to facilitate the removal of feces, and carbohydrates that cannot be digested like fiber can make you feel full.
4. As a natural sweetener
Carbohydrates function as givers of natural sweetness in foods, especially Disaccharides and types of carbohydrate Monosaccharides.
Carbohydrate Source
Many carbohydrate sources we meet include:
In grains, namely: Rice, corn, wheat and others.
In Fruits: Bananas and all kinds of fruit that tastes sweet.
In the Roots / tubers, namely among others: Sweet Potatoes, Cassava, Taro, Potatoes and so forth
On leaves: Green vegetables.
Carbohydrates have a very important function for the body to protect the body from disease.
Carbohydrate Testing
Here Is A Carbohydrate Test Through Qualitative and Quantitative Tests.
Qualitative Test
This test can be done in two (2) kinds of ways, namely; the first uses the color formation reaction and the second uses the principle of chromatography (TLC / Thin Layer Chromatography, GC / Gas Cromatography, HPLC / High Performance Liquid Cromatography).
Due to the efficiency of testing, in general for qualitative testing only the first principle is used namely the formation of color as a basis for determining the carbohydrate content in an ingredient. There are at least seven (7) kinds of color formation reactions, namely:
Molisch reaction
KH (pentose) + concentrated H2SO4 à furfural à + a naphthol à purple
KH (hexose) + concentrated H2SO4 à HM-furfural à + a naphthol à purple
Both of the above reactions are generally accepted, both for aldose (-CHO) and carbohydrate group ketosa (C = O).
Benedict's reaction
KH + camp CuSO4, Na-Citrate, Na2CO3 à Cu2O red brick deposits
Barfoed reaction
KH + camp CuSO4 and CH3COOH à Cu2O brick red precipitate
Fehling reaction
KH + camp CuSO4, K-Na-tatrat, NaOH à Cu2O red brick deposition