Tag: Alpha vs beta glucose

While both starch and cellulose are polymers of glucose, a simple sugar, a minor difference in their molecular linkage dramatically affects their function and how living organisms interact with them. This fundamental chemical distinction is why you can digest a potato for energy but cannot extract nutrients from wood.

Over half of all the organic carbon on Earth exists in the form of one of the three common polymers of glucose. These essential biomolecules, known as polysaccharides, are fundamental to both plant and animal life, serving as energy storage and structural components.

While both starch and cellulose are polysaccharides made from the same glucose monomer, they are fundamentally different molecules. Their distinct properties are a direct result of the different ways their glucose units are linked, a subtle chemical variation with major biological consequences.