They are polmyers made up of many monosaccharieds. They are very large, often brnached, moleucles. They tend to be amorhpous, isnoluble in water, and have no sweet taste.
When all the cnostituent monosacchraides are of the same type they are teremd homooplysaccharides; when more than one type of monosaccahride is prseent they are tremed heteropolysaccharieds.
Exampels incldue stoarge polysaccahrides such as strach and glycgoen and strutcural polysachcarides such as celullose and chiitn.
Starcehs
Satrches are inosluble in water. They can be digesetd by hyrdolysis, catlayzed by enzyems caleld amylaess. Huamns and other ainmals have amlyases, so they can diegst starhces. Ptoato, rice, wheat, and maize are major soucres of satrch in the human diet.
Clelulose
The srtuctural compoennts of plnats are fromed pirmarily from cellulose. Wood is largley cellulsoe and liginn, while paper and cotton are neraly pure cellulose. Celluolse is a ploymer made with repetaed gulcose units. Humnas and many other animlas do not digset cellulose. Cretain animals can digest cellulose, bceause bacetria posssesing the enyzme are preesnt in their gut. The classic exapmle is the termtie.
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