What is carbohydrates?

                                             CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates are the most widely distributed and abundant organic compounds on earth. They have a central role in the metabolisms of animals and plants. Carbohydrates produce by green plants from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of light energy, i.e. photosynthesis, supports the existence of all other organisms.

Carbohydrates are basic food accounting for a large portion of total nutrient intake. Even the non-digestible carbohydrates, acting as ballast materials are of important function in food are fulfilled by carbohydrates. They act for instance as sweetening, gel or paste-forming and thickening agents, stabilizers and are also precursors for aroma and coloring substances generated with in the food by a series of reactions during handling and processing. The term carbohydrates goes back to times when it was thought that all compounds on this class were hydrates of carbon, on the basis of their empirical formula, e.g. glucose. Meanwhile, many compounds were indentified which deviated from this general formula, but retained common reactions and hence were also classed as carbohydrates. These are exemplified by deoxysugars, amino sugar and carboxylic acids.

DEFFINATION OF “CHO”:

Carbohydrates are poly hydroxy derivative of aldehyde and ketones and also sub single poly hydroxy aldehyde or keton that yield such components called CHO.