Carbohydrates - Background
If you are already familiar with carbohydrates, you may proceed directly to the section on carbohydrate tests.
The term carbohydrates is generally applied to the group of polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones commonly known as sugars. Carbohydrates are produced from carbon dioxide and water by plants through the process of photosynthesis. They are easily digested by animals where they are converted back into carbon dioxide and water, with a concurrent release of energy.
Carbohydrates can be classified as simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates, often called monosaccharides or simple sugars, contain one saccharide group and cannot be broken down into smaller carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are those containing more than one saccharide group. Disaccharides contain two groups while polysaccharides can contain over a thousand saccharide groups. Complex carbohydrates can be broken down into smaller carbohydrate units through a process known as hydrolysis.
Continue and read about the monosaccharides.
