Which saccharide group does starch belong to?

Prepare for the SACE Stage 2 Nutrition Exam with quizzes, detailed explanations, and flashcards to excel in the assessment. Master the syllabus and enhance your nutritional knowledge for the exam!

Starch is classified as a polysaccharide because it is a complex carbohydrate made up of long chains of glucose molecules linked together. These chains can be branched or unbranched, and the structure allows for the storage of energy in plants. Polysaccharides, such as starch, typically consist of more than ten monosaccharide units, in contrast to monosaccharides, which are the simplest form of carbohydrates containing just one sugar unit, and disaccharides, which are made up of two monosaccharide units. Oligosaccharides consist of a small number of monosaccharides, typically between three to ten, but starch exceeds this range significantly. This characteristic of starch allows it to function effectively as an energy reserve for plants, highlighting its classification as a polysaccharide.

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