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Intro to Carbohydrate Metabolism definitions

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  • Digestion
    Conversion of food into small molecules through both mechanical actions and biochemical hydrolysis.
  • Mechanical Breakdown
    Physical process involving chewing and grinding food into smaller pieces to aid further processing.
  • Biochemical Breakdown
    Hydrolysis-driven process that reduces large molecules into smaller, absorbable units.
  • Salivary Alpha Amylase
    Enzyme in the mouth initiating starch and glycogen hydrolysis into smaller polysaccharides and maltose.
  • Polysaccharide
    Polymer composed of multiple glucose units linked by glycosidic bonds, such as starch or glycogen.
  • Maltose
    Disaccharide consisting of two glucose molecules joined by a glycosidic linkage.
  • Oligosaccharide
    Carbohydrate fragment containing 3 to 10 monosaccharide units, often produced during starch breakdown.
  • Monosaccharide
    Simple sugar molecule, such as glucose, fructose, or galactose, resulting from complete carbohydrate hydrolysis.
  • Pancreatic Alpha Amylase
    Enzyme in the small intestine that continues starch and glycogen hydrolysis into smaller sugars.
  • Maltase
    Small intestine enzyme responsible for splitting maltose into two glucose molecules.
  • Sucrase
    Digestive enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of sucrose into glucose and fructose.
  • Lactase
    Enzyme that hydrolyzes lactose into glucose and galactose in the small intestine.
  • Acetyl CoA
    Central metabolic intermediate formed from carbohydrate breakdown, entering the Krebs cycle.
  • Krebs Cycle
    Series of reactions in mitochondria generating electron carriers, ATP, and carbon dioxide from Acetyl CoA.
  • Electron Transport Chain
    Mitochondrial process using electron carriers to produce large amounts of ATP via oxidative phosphorylation.