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What is the basic structural difference between starch and cellulose?

What is the basic structural difference between starch and cellulose?

Grade:11

1 Answers

Anjali Ahuja
askIITians Faculty 234 Points
9 years ago
The basic differences between them are here –>
  1. Cellulose is mostly linear chains of glucose molecules linked together by beta 1,4 glycosidic bonds whereas starch is found in both linear and branched chains.
  2. Cellulose has beta 1,4 linkage between the glucose units while starch has alpha 1,4 linkages
  3. Cellulose occurs in nature as pure cellulose , hemicellulose or lignin. Starch occur in two forms- amylase and amylopectin. Amylose is simple linear form where as amylopectin is complex and branched. Glycogen is the storage form of starch in animals and more branched than amylopectin.
  4. Cellulose is a structural polysaccharide. Starch is mainly a storage polysaccharide.
  5. Starch can be broken down to maltose and then finally to glucose by the enzymes present in humans. Cellulose cannot be digested properly in the absence of the cellulase enzymes.261-589_starcell.gif

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