BIOMOLECULES

 biological molecule is any molecule that

is present in living organisms, including
large macromolecules such as proteins,
carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids, as
well as small molecules such as primary
metabolites, secondary metabolites, and
natural products.
 CARBOHYDRATES
o composed of carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen in a
1:2:1 ratio. (CH2O)
o are the most abundant organic
components in the major part
of fruits, vegetables, legumes
and cereal grains.
o carry out many functions in
all living organisms and are
the major energy source.

o also known as saccharides

 CLASSIFICATION:
Monosaccharides
These are the only sugars that can be absorbed
and utilized by the body.
 Carbohydrate compounds having just one
carbohydrate molecule
 EXAMPLES:

Glucose (also known as dextrose or grape

sugar)
formed from the hydrolysis of di- and
polysaccharides
the most important carbohydrate in
human nutrition because it is the one that
the body fuses directly to supply its energy
needs
is the carbohydrate found in the bloodstream,
and it provides an immediate source of energy
for the body’s cells and tissues.

It is found in all plants and in the sap of trees.

Fruits and vegetables are wholesome food
sources of glucose.
Fructose (also known as levulose or fruit sugar)
is very similar to another monosaccharide,
galactose. These two simple sugars share the
same chemical formula; however, the
arrangements of their chemical groups along the
chemical chain differ.
is the sweetest of all the sugars
is found in fruits, vegetables and the nectar of
flowers, as well as in the unwholesome (to
humans) sweeteners, molasses and honey.
 In humans, fructose is produced during the
hydrolysis of the disaccharide, sucrose.
Galactose
It is differ from the other simple sugars,
glucose and fructose, in that it does not occur
free in nature.
 It is produced in the body in the digestion
of lactose, a disaccharide.
Disaccharides
 consist of two monosaccharides that are
chemically combined.
 Disaccharides, on hydrolysis, yield two
monosaccharide molecules.
Sucrose
It is consists of one molecule of each of two
monosaccharides—glucose and fructose.
Sucrose is found in fruits and vegetables and is
particularly plentiful in sugar beets (roots) and
sugarcane (a grass).
any foods containing significant amounts of
refined sugar are high in sucrose.
Maltose (also known as malt sugar)
This disaccharide, unlike sucrose, is not
consumed in large amounts in the average
diet.
 It is found in malted cereals, malted milks
and sprouted grains.
Lactose (also known as milk sugar)
This disaccharide is found only in milk.
 When lactose is hydrolyzed it yields one unit
of the monosaccharide glucose and one unit of
the monosaccharide galactose.
The enzyme lactase is needed to digest
lactose, and this enzyme is not present in
most, if any, people over age three.
Polysaccharides
contain up to 60,000 simple carbohydrate
molecules. These carbohydrate molecules are
arranged in long chains in either a straight or in
a branched structure.
are insoluble in water, do not taste sweet and
do not form crystals.
Starch
is abundant in the plant world and is found in
granular form in the cells of plants.
Starch granules can be seen under a microscope and
they differ in size, shape and markings in various
plants..
These starch granules are laid down in the
storage organs of plants—in the seeds, tubers,
roots and stem pith. They provide a reserve food
supply for the plant and nourish the growing
embryo during germination.
Glycogen
is the reserve carbohydrate in humans.

is stored primarily in the liver and muscles of

animals. About two-thirds of total body glycogen is
stored in the muscles and about one-third is stored in
the liver.
Cellulose
is composed of thousands of glucose molecules.
It comprises over 50% of the carbon in
vegetation and is the structural constituent of
the cell walls of plants. Cellulose is, therefore,
the most abundant naturally-occurring organic
substance.
It is characterized by its insolubility, its
chemical inertness and its physical rigidity.
This polysaccharide can be digested only by
herbivores such as cows, sheep, horses, etc., as
these animals have bacteria in their rumens
(stomachs) whose enzyme systems break down
cellulose molecules.
 SOURCES:
Carbohydrates Are a Component of Every Food

Starches As Sources of Carbohydrates

Fruits As Sources of Carbohydrates

 FUNCTIONS:
1. Carbohydrates Supply Energy

2. Carbohydrates Provide Fuel for the Central Nervous

System
nerve cells are very dependent upon glucose for their
functioning.
3. Carbohydrates Provide Fuel for the Muscular System
carbohydrates provide the major fuel for muscular
exercise.
 the muscles use the glycogen present in the muscle
cells and glucose in the bloodstream.
4. Carbohydrates Supposedly Spare Proteins
5. Carbohydrates Supposedly Supply “Dietary
Fiber”
LIPIDS
 are oily, greasy materials which have
a glistering appearance.
Ex. Fats ( butter, lard & tallow), oils (
corn oil, peanut oil, cooking oil)-
-triglycerides
waxes (made up of plastics)
 are soluble in such organic solvents
as dry cleaning fluid and chloroform
but are insoluble in water.
 made up of carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen. (2:1 hydrogen – oxygen)
FUNCTION:
have the job of storing energy
 act as insulator by protecting
animals for later use.
 serve as building block for many
steroid.

MAIN SOURCE OF METABOLIC FUEL

IN THE BODY
 Vitamins A, D, E and K cannot
function without adequate daily fat
intake.
 TYPES:
FATTY ACIDS (Carboxylic acids)
 naturally occurring esters that contain
one or more long-chain carboxylic acids
 are insoluble in water
Sources:
nuts, milk and meat.
 Saturated – are solid at ordinary
condition.
Ex. Lard, butter, margarine
 Unsaturated – exist as liquid at ordinary
condition.
Ex. Vegetable oil, corn oil
SOME COMMON SATURATED AND
UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS
NAME MELTING POINT (°C)
Lauric 44
Myristic 53
Palmitic 63
Stearic 70
Loeic 16
Linoleic -5
Linolenic -11
Arachidonic -50
 Source Saturated Unsaturated Others
Myristic Palmitic Stearic Oleic Linoleic

Butter 10 29 9 27 4 31
Animal

Lard 2 30 18 41 6 5
Fat

Beef 3 32 25 38 3 2

Corn 1 10 4 34 48 4

Soybea - 7 3 25 56 9
n
Plant Oil

Peanut - 7 5 60 21 7

Olive 1 6 4 83 7 -
 SOME ESSENTIAL OIL & THEIR SOURCES
Essential Oils Source
Limonene Peel of citrus fruits
Vanillin Vanilla orchis
Zingeberene Ginger
Eugenol Oil of cloves
Cinnamaldehyde Cinnamon oil
Menthol Peppermint
Methylsalicylate Oil of winter green (extracted from the
bark of birch tree)
WAXES – are esters of fatty acids
(longer alcohol molecules)
-- used as lubricants, polishers and
ointments
-- usually occur in nature as protective
covering on plants (Ex. gabi plants)
 SOME NATURALLY OCCURRING WAXES
NAME SOURCE USE
Beewax Honey comb of bees Production of cosmetics,
ointments, and candies
Lanolin Wool Production of ointments and
cream
Spermaceti Sperm whale Production of ointments,
cream and candies
Carnauba Palm leaves Production of floor and auto
wax
STERIOD – another class of lipids whose
molecules are composed of fused rings
of atoms.
 Cholesterol – helps to the
fluidity in cell membranes and
therefore aids in the transport of
materials.
 -- most important factor in the
formation of synapse.
-- used by animals to synthesize
other steroid like testosterone &
estrogen.
harmful to the body because it causes
heart ailment.
 BILE SALT – an emulsifier in digestive
system.
-- it is made in the liver, stored in
the gallbladder and goes to the small
intestine.
-- breaks fat into smaller globules,
thus hastening digestion.
 SEX HORMONES
-- triggers off a response which
makes the cell undergo a special
process.
-- Ex. Estrogen and Androgen
PROTEINS
 are the most abundant organic
compound in living cells.
 made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
and nitrogen atom. Sulfur, phosphorus
and iron may also be present.
 amino acids as fundamental building
blocks.
 Sources: egg white, fish , meat and
cheese
 second to the most common molecules
found in the human body.
 of the 20 amino acids found in the
human protein, only 11 can be
synthesized by the by the body and 9
have to be supplied by the food we eat.
– essential amino acids.
Adults – obtain valine, isoleucine,
leucine, lysine, methionine,
phenylalanine, threonine and
tryptophan.
Histidine – essential for infants.
ENZYMES is a type of protein
-- it is also known as biological
catalysts.