Starch has alpha-glucose helices for storage; cellulose has straight beta-glucose chains forming strong fibres.
Alpha-glucose chains in starch coil into helices that store compactly and are easily hydrolysed. In cellulose every other glucose is flipped, so chains are straight and hydrogen bond with neighbours, forming microfibrils with high tensile strength comparable to steel per weight.
Starch is for storage and cellulose for support.
Starch has alpha-glucose helices for storage; cellulose has straight beta-glucose chains forming strong fibres.
Starch vs Cellulose is one of the 51 topics in Biomolecules & Biochemistry. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Polysaccharides, Glycosidic Bond, Carbohydrates.
Dietary fibre is mostly cellulose, which passes through the gut and aids movement of food.
Work through the Beginner topics in Biomolecules & Biochemistry first, such as Water Properties, Carbon Chemistry, Carbohydrates, then return to Starch vs Cellulose. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Starch vs Cellulose are Polysaccharides, Glycosidic Bond, Carbohydrates, Secondary Structure. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Starch vs Cellulose. To practise the whole of Biomolecules & Biochemistry, use the Biomolecules & Biochemistry quiz.
Starch vs Cellulose: Starch has alpha-glucose helices for storage; cellulose has straight beta-glucose chains forming strong fibres. Polysaccharides: Long chains of sugar units, including starch, glycogen, cellulose and chitin, used for storage and structure. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Polysaccharides and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Biomolecules & Biochemistry quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Long chains of sugar units, including starch, glycogen, cellulose and chitin, used for storage and structure.
⚗️ Biomolecules & BiochemistryThe covalent link between sugar units formed by condensation, alpha in starch and beta in cellulose.
⚗️ Biomolecules & BiochemistrySugars and starches built from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that serve as fuel and structural material.
⚗️ Biomolecules & BiochemistryLocal folding of the backbone into alpha helices and beta sheets stabilised by hydrogen bonds.
⚗️ Biomolecules & Biochemistry