Polysaccharides : Definition, Types and Examples MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers

Polysaccharides

• Polysaccharides are made up of ten or more than ten monosaccharides.
• These are the polymers of monosaccharides.
• These are also called glycans.
• Homopolysaccharides contain only a single type of monomeric unit.
• Heteropolysaccharides contain two or more different kinds of monomeric units

Starch:

• Starch is the stored form of sugar in plants.
• Starch is made up of amylose and amylopectin.
• Amylose is an unbranched polysaccharide that consists of glucose monomers connected via α-1,4 glycosidic bond.
• Amylopectin is a branched polysaccharide that consists of glucose monomers linked via α-1,4 glycosidic bond and branches via α-1,6 glycosidic bond.
   

Cellulose:

• In cellulose, glucose monomers are linked in unbranched chains by β 1-4 glycosidic linkages. Because of the way the glucose subunits are joined, every glucose monomer is flipped relative to the next one resulting in a linear, fibrous structure.
• Cellulose is found in the cell walls of plants.
• Cellulose is a fibrous, tough, water-insoluble substance.
• Cellulose constitutes much of the mass of wood, and cotton is almost pure cellulose.

Glycogen:

• It is a homopolymer consisting of glucose monomers linked via α-1,4 glycosidic bond and branches via α-1,6 glycosidic bond at every ten or so units.
• It is a branched polysaccharide.
• It is the stored form of food in animals and fungi.

Chitin:

• Chitin is a linear homopolysaccharide composed of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in β linkage.
• Chitin forms extended fibers similar to those of cellulose, and like cellulose, it is indigestible by vertebrate animals.