complex carbohydrate

A carbohydrate characterised by chemical complexity and multiple-side chains of glycogen and fibre; complex-carbohydrate-rich foods include whole grains, brown bread, brown rice, vegetables and beans.

complex carbohydrate

1. A starch.2. A molecule made of several linked saccharides; a polysaccharide.

Classification	Formula	Examples	Some Properties
Monosaccharides	C₆H₁₂O₆	Glucose	Crystalline, sweet, very soluble, readily absorbed
Pentoses	C₅H₁₀O₅ or C₅H₁₀O₄	Ribose	Part of nucleic acid, RNA
		Deoxyribose	Part of nucleic acid, DNA
Disaccharides	(C₆H₁₀O₅)₂·H₂O or C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ hydrolyzed to simple sugars	Sucrose Lactose Maltose	Crystalline, sweet, soluble, digestible Present in milk
Polysaccharides	(C₆H₁₀O₅)_n composed of many molecules of simple sugars. (Since polysaccharides can be composed of various numbers of monosaccharides and disaccharides, n refers to an unknown number of these groups.)	Starch Dextrin Cellulose Glycogen	Amorphous, little or no flavor, less soluble. Vary in solubility and digestibility.

Enzyme	Produced in	Carbohydrates Digested	End Product
Sucrase (invertase)	Small intestine	Sucrose	Glucose and fructose
Maltases	Small intestine and mucosal cells of small intestine	Maltose	Two d-glucose
Lactase	Small intestine	Lactose	d-glucose and d-galactose
Salivary amylase	Saliva (mouth)	Cooked starch, glycogen, and dextrins	Maltose
Pancreatic amylase	Pancreas	Raw and cooked starch and glycogen	Maltose