Sugars

Sugars are an essential source of energy for living organisms. Monosaccharides are the simplest sugars as they are single monomeric units. We will further read in detail about this in this article. Simple sugars are made up of glucose and fructose. They are very sweet. When this glucose and fructose combine, the result comes the formation of sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide that is made by a combination of two monosaccharides. Sucrose is mainly used as an ingredient in preparing food. We will also read about this further in the article.

Sugars

Sugars are the source of metabolic energy. They are organic compounds as they contain carbon covalently bonded to other atoms. Simple carbohydrates are usually known as Sugars. They are easily digested. Besides this, sugar is either ketose or aldose type. According to Wikipedia, sugar is a crystalline carbohydrate soluble in water. It includes sucrose and lactose. It tastes sweet and is classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides.

As discussed above, we know that Sugars can be of two types, namely.

• Monosaccharides – They are also known as simple sugars. They help in creating natural polymers. They are six-carbon compounds exhibiting alcohol. Alcohol groups are in different positions. They can easily be dissolved into water. Examples are fructose, galactose, and glucose.

• Disaccharides – They are also known as granulated sugar or table sugar. They can not be easily dissolved or digested. Examples are lactose, maltose, and sucrose.

• Polysaccharides- Each polysaccharide molecule is composed of many molecules of monosaccharides (e.g., glucose, fructose or galactose). They are relatively insoluble in water.

These form insoluble structural components of the cell wall, membranes, cell coat and extracellular matrix. Polysaccharides have two subclasses: homopolysaccharides and heteropolysaccharides.

Homopolysaccharides are composed of many molecules of the same monosaccharide, e.g Starch, cellulose, chitin, glycogen and inulin. Insulin is a polymer of fructose.

Heteropolysaccharides are composed of more than one type of monosaccharide amino sugar, modified sugar (e.g., glucosamine), and N-acetyl galactosamine. e.g., pectins, mucilage, chitin and heparin.

Some types of sugars

• Fructose: They are found in fruits and honey.

• Galactose: They are found in milk and dairy products.

• Glucose: They are found in honey, fruits and vegetables.

• Lactose: They are found in milk. It is made up of a combination of glucose and galactose.

• Maltose: They are found in barley.

• Sucrose: It is made up of glucose and fructose. It is located in plants.

• Xylose: It is located in wood or straw.

Uses of Sugars

Sugars are used in many forms. They are the main source of chemical energy in our bodies. Some of the other uses are:

• Formation of Polymers

• Gives energy for proper body metabolism

• Act as a storage house of energy

• Acts as preservatives

Reducing sugar-A reducing sugar is a sugar that has a free aldehyde or ketone that can act as a reducing agent. e.g. Glucose.

Non reducing sugar-A non-reducing sugar does not have a free aldehyde or ketone, so it cannot act as a reducing agent. e.g. Sucrose.

Sugars Formula

The formula of sugar depends upon its type. Mostly by sugar formula, we refer to sucrose, i.e. disaccharides. It is made up of two monosaccharides. It consists of 12 atoms of carbon, 11 atoms of oxygen and 22 atoms of hydrogen. Its molecular weight is 342.30 g/mol. Its density is 1.587 g/cm³. It decomposes at 186 °C. Other than sucrose, there are many sugars. The formulas for different types of sugar are listed below.

• The formula of sucrose is C12H22O11 – It consists of twelve atoms of carbon, eleven atoms of oxygen and twenty-two atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Arabinose is C5H10O5 – It consists of five atoms of carbon, five atoms of oxygen and ten atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Fructose is C6H12O6 – It consists of six atoms of carbon, six atoms of oxygen and twelve atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Galactose is C6H12O6 – It consists of six atoms of carbon, six atoms of oxygen and twelve atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Glucose is C6H12O6 – It consists of six atoms of carbon, six atoms of oxygen and twelve atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Lactose is C12H22O11 – It consists of twelve atoms of carbon, eleven atoms of oxygen and twenty-two atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Inositol is C6H12O6 – It consists of six atoms of carbon, six atoms of oxygen and twelve atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Mannose is C6H12O6  – It consists of six atoms of carbon, six atoms of oxygen and twelve atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Ribose is C5H10O5– It consists of five atoms of carbon, five atoms of oxygen and ten atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Trehalose is  C12H22O11– It consists of twelve atoms of carbon, eleven atoms of oxygen and twenty-two atoms of hydrogen.
• The formula of Xylose is C5H10O5– It consists of five atoms of carbon, five atoms of oxygen and ten atoms of hydrogen.

Disorders

• Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) -In this disorder, there is too much sugar in the blood because the body lacks enough insulin. Associated with diabetes, hyperglycemia can cause vomiting, excessive hunger and thirst, rapid heartbeat, vision problems and other symptoms.

• Hypoglycemia- Hypoglycemia is a condition in which your blood sugar (glucose) level is lower than normal. Glucose is your body’s main energy source. It may be caused by excess insulin or deficiency of glucagon. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include weakness, profuse sweating, irritability, confusion etc.

Conclusion

Sugar is one of the primary energy sources for our body. Hence, it is concluded that Simple carbohydrates are usually known as Sugars. They are easily digested. The formula of sugar depends upon its type. Primarily by sugar formula, we refer to sucrose, i.e. disaccharides. It tastes sweet and is classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides. The formula of sugar depends upon its type. Primarily by sugar formula, we refer to sucrose, i.e. disaccharides. It is made up of two monosaccharides. It consists of 12 atoms of carbon, 11 atoms of oxygen and 22 atoms of hydrogen. After reading this article, most of the concepts regarding sugars, formulas and their types will be clear. I hope this article will be helpful in your studies.