Polysaccharides are a series of biomolecules composed of the union of a considerable amount of monosaccharides, which represent the simplest sugars, whose particularity is that they do not hydrolyze, that is, they do not decompose into other compounds. Its function in living organisms is to provide energy and structural reserves.
Polysaccharides are classified into: reserve polysaccharides and structural polysaccharides. The former are those that store glucose in the form of starch in vegetables and glycogen in animals, to release it to the body when necessary. In animals, the action of polysaccharides is completed by fats or lipids that store twice as much energy.
For their part, structural polysaccharides are those that produce organic structures. Among those that stand out most are celluloses, which is the main component of the plant cell wall, and chitin, which fulfills the same function in fungi.
Starch is an example of reserve polysaccharides, it is found in plants. It is important to note that the diet of people today is made up of 70% of this polysaccharide, since it is found in most of the foods they consume, in addition to being the ones that are most used when preparing other foods. For example: all corn and wheat flours, as well as the products that are manufactured with them.
The most important characteristic of starch is that it can be used in various ways: as a stabilizer, gelling agent, humectant and thickener for any kind of food.
Meanwhile, glucose is the most abundant polysaccharide in the human body, it is located in the liver, in the muscles and in most of the organic tissues.
