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Polysaccharide definitions

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  • Polysaccharide
    A long carbohydrate chain of more than 10 monosaccharides, often serving structural or energy storage roles in living organisms.
  • Monosaccharide
    A single sugar unit that serves as the building block for larger carbohydrate molecules such as polysaccharides.
  • Disaccharide
    A carbohydrate composed of two monosaccharide units joined by a glycosidic bond.
  • Trisaccharide
    A carbohydrate consisting of three monosaccharide units linked by glycosidic bonds.
  • Oligosaccharide
    A carbohydrate chain containing between four and ten monosaccharide units.
  • Glycosidic Bond
    A covalent linkage connecting monosaccharide units in carbohydrates, determining chain structure and digestibility.
  • Starch
    A plant-derived polysaccharide with alpha linkages, serving as an easily digestible energy reserve.
  • Cellulose
    A structural plant polysaccharide with beta-1,4 linkages, forming strong, straight, and indigestible chains.
  • Glycogen
    An animal storage polysaccharide with alpha-1,4 and alpha-1,6 linkages, highly branched for rapid energy release.
  • Amylose
    A straight-chain form of starch in plants, composed of glucose units with alpha-1,4 linkages, easily digested.
  • Amylopectin
    A branched plant polysaccharide with alpha-1,4 and alpha-1,6 linkages, storing energy with branches every 30 units.
  • Alpha-1,4 Linkage
    A glycosidic bond connecting the first and fourth carbons of glucose units, resulting in digestible, straight chains.
  • Alpha-1,6 Linkage
    A glycosidic bond forming branches in polysaccharides by connecting the first and sixth carbons of glucose units.
  • Beta-1,4 Linkage
    A glycosidic bond joining the first and fourth carbons of glucose units in a configuration that creates strong, straight chains.
  • D-Glucose
    A common monosaccharide unit forming the backbone of many important polysaccharides in plants and animals.