Analysis of Carbohydrates (Monosaccharides, Polysaccharides) Publisher



Niaz K¹ ; Khan F² ; Shah MA³
Source: Recent Advances in Natural Products Analysis Published:2020

Abstract

Carbohydrates are a family of compounds formed of monosaccharides building blocks, ranging from the simple sugars such as mono- and disaccharides to the more complex and longer polysaccharides molecules. They are found in a wide variety of foods, like cereals (rice, wheat), potatoes, fruits and some vegetables, sugarcane, milk, among others. Carbohydrates are one of the most important energy providers in the human diet, with glucose as the key energy molecule. Sucrose, in the form of table sugar, and starch are the most commonly consumed forms as well as cellulose, as source of fiber. Apart from that, they have numerous industrial applications, mostly as sweeteners, thickeners, and gelling agents in food industry, but also in textile, pharmaceutical, and chemical industry. Due to the carbohydrates’ importance in everyday human usage, there will be further efforts for development of newer and more optimized extraction, purification, identification, and quantification techniques. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.