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Article: Carbohydrates And Their Analysis, Part Two
By Adriana E. Manzi
A polysaccharide is a complex glycan with at least 10 monosaccharide units. It can be formed by the multiples of the same monosaccharide (a homopolysaccharide) or by two or more monosaccharides combined (heteropolysaccharide). Two homopolysaccharides can have completely different conformations — and thus properties — based on the position and type of glycosidic linkages in the structure (Figure 9). Polyglucose ranges from cellulose — ß(1–4) glucan, with its zig-zag chains regularly superimposed to each other and bound tightly by hundreds of hydrogen bonds to form strong fibrils that confer structural strength to standing trees — to flexible a(1-6)-glucans with twirling structure and high solubility, which are typically used by plant seeds as a nutrient during early development.
Reprinted with permission from BioProcess International
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