
Carbohydrate | Definition, Classification, & Examples | Britannica
Feb 18, 2025 · Carbohydrates are probably the most abundant and widespread organic substances in nature and are essential constituents of all living things. The term carbohydrate means “watered carbon”; the general formula C x (H 2 …
Carbohydrate - Energy, Digestion, Nutrition | Britannica
Dec 16, 2024 · Carbohydrate - Energy, Digestion, Nutrition: The total caloric, or energy, requirement for an individual depends on age, occupation, and other factors but generally ranges between 2,000 and 4,000 calories per 24-hour period (one calorie, as this term is used in nutrition, is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1,000 grams ...
carbohydrate summary | Britannica
carbohydrate, Any member of a very abundant and widespread class of natural organic compounds that includes sugars, starch, and cellulose. They are commonly classified as monosaccharides (simple sugars; e.g., glucose, fructose), disaccharides (2-unit sugars; e.g., sucrose, lactose), oligosaccharides (3–10 or so sugars), and polysaccharides ...
Carbohydrate - Structure, Function, Sources | Britannica
Feb 18, 2025 · Carbohydrate - Structure, Function, Sources: Molecules, such as the isomers of glyceraldehyde—the atoms of which can have different structural arrangements—are known as asymmetrical molecules.
Carbohydrate - Energy, Structure, Nutrition | Britannica
Feb 18, 2025 · Carbohydrate - Energy, Structure, Nutrition: The importance of carbohydrates to living things can hardly be overemphasized. The energy stores of most animals and plants are both carbohydrate and lipid in nature; carbohydrates are generally available as an immediate energy source, whereas lipids act as a long-term energy resource and tend to be ...
Carbohydrate - Sucrose, Trehalose, Glucose | Britannica
Feb 18, 2025 · Carbohydrate - Sucrose, Trehalose, Glucose: Sucrose, or common table sugar, is a major commodity worldwide. By the second decade of the 21st century, its world production had amounted to more than 170 million tons annually.
carbohydrate - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
Such substances are called carbohydrates. They are essential constituents of all living things, serving as energy sources and structural components. Together with fats and proteins, carbohydrates are one of the main groups of food nutrients needed by the human body.
Polysaccharide | Carbohydrate Chemistry & Biomolecules
Feb 10, 2025 · A polysaccharide is the form in which most natural carbohydrates occur. Polysaccharides may have a molecular structure that is either branched or linear. Linear compounds such as cellulose often pack together to form a rigid structure; branched forms (e.g., gum arabic) generally are soluble in water and make pastes.
Lactose | Milk Sugar, Digestion & Nutrition | Britannica
Dec 28, 2024 · Lactose, carbohydrate containing one molecule of glucose and one of galactose linked together. Composing about 2 to 8 percent of the milk of all mammals, lactose is sometimes called milk sugar. It is the only common sugar of animal origin.
Maltose | chemical compound | Britannica
In carbohydrate: Lactose and maltose Lactose is one of the sugars (sucrose is another) found most commonly in human diets throughout the world; it constitutes about 7 percent of human milk and about 4–5 percent of the milk of mammals such as cows, goats, and sheep.