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Why can we digest starch, but not cellulose?

Why can we digest starch, but not cellulose?

FromChemistry in Everyday Life


Why can we digest starch, but not cellulose?

FromChemistry in Everyday Life

ratings:
Length:
11 minutes
Released:
Sep 12, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

Both starch and cellulose are made of glucose, one of the main sources of energy for the human body. Yet... we can digest starch that we find in things like potatoes or flour, but we cannot digest cellulose, a compound that is found in virtually every plant... Why?!?
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Sources
Chemistry of glucose linkages
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycosidic_bond
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anomer
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysaccharide
Glycogen & Starch metabolism
· https://findanyanswer.com/can-glycogen-be-digested-by-humans
· Biochemistryby J. M. Berg et al. 9th Ed. 2019 ISBN 978-1-319-11465-7; p. 679ff
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starch
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycogen
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycogenolysis
Cellulose digestion
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruminant#Digestive_system_of_ruminants
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumen
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulose
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulase
· https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindgut_fermentation
Released:
Sep 12, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (41)

Chemistry in Everyday Life is a podcast that aims to explain the fascinating world of chemistry to lay people with the help of common examples encountered all around us.