What Does saccharide Mean
Sacárido is a term that comes from the French saccharide , in turn derived from the Latin sacchărum (translatable as “sugar” ). This Latin word, meanwhile, comes from the Greek Sakcharon .
A saccharide is a carbohydrate . Carbohydrate and carbohydrate are also synonyms that allow us to refer to the same type of substance.
Saccharides, carbohydrates, carbohydrates or carbohydrates are biomolecules : that is, molecules that constitute a living being. These biomolecules are formed with atoms of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, among other elements.
The most important function of saccharides is to provide energy to the living being. This is possible thanks to an oxidation process : when these biomolecules oxidize, they release the energy they stored.
According to their complexity, saccharides are classified in different ways. The simplest saccharides are monosaccharides , which cannot be decomposed into simpler compounds by hydrolysis (ie, by the intervention of water).
The union of two saccharides is called a disaccharide . If three to nine monosaccharides come together, an oligosaccharide is formed . When the amount of monosaccharides that meet is greater, meanwhile, we speak of polysaccharides .
The glucose and fructose are monosaccharides. Among the disaccharides we find lactose and sucrose , while among the oligosaccharides we can mention raffinose and panosa . As for the group of polysaccharides, it is made up of compounds such as cellulose and starch . All these elements, in short, are saccharides of different kinds.