Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are straight chain aldehydes or ketones that have many hydroxyl groups added. They are common biological molecules and they can provide energy in living organisms (glucose, starch) or provide structure (cellulose). Glucose, ribose, galactose, fructose, maltose, lactose and sucrose are all examples of common carbohydrates. A single carbohydrate is known as a monosaccharide, two monosaccharides make a disaccharide, and a chain of monosaccharides make a polysaccharide. Dietary consumption of a carbohydrate contributes 4 Calories per gram of energy.