Polysaccharides
                       PolysaccharidesÂ
While monosaccharides (single sugars) and disaccharides (double sugars) are known as simple carbohydrates, polysaccharides (many sugars linked together in long chains) are referred to as complex carbohydrates. Starch and fiber are examples of polysaccharides made out of chains of glucose molecules. The key difference is that starches are digestible while fibers are not. Digestive enzymes in the intestine easily cut the bonds that link the glucose molecules in starch. The enzymes cannot cut through the stronger bonds that link the glucose chains in fiber. We will talk more about fiber later.
Â
Complex Carbohydrates
There are four important types of complex carbohydrates:
- Starches – Starches are a way that many plants store energy. We can then eat starches and our bodies will use the energy.
- Glycogen – Animals use glycogen to store energy. It is stored in the liver and the muscles to be used when needed.
- Cellulose – Cellulose is used in plants as a structural molecule. It cannot be digested by animals.
- Chitin – Chitin is used as a structural molecule in fungi and arthropods.