ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a classification system for carbohydrates and recognises their distribution in food. The term ‘sugars’ is conventionally used to describe the mono and disaccharides; in contrast, the term ‘sugar’ is used to describe purified sucrose, as are the terms ‘refined sugar’ and ‘added sugar’. The term ‘complex carbohydrate’ is generally used to describe either starch alone or the combination of all polysaccharides, and therefore distinguish sugars from other carbohydrates. Physiological differences in function attributable to the shape and size of food pieces are also evident in the large intestine. ‘Fibre’ is now recognised as a key dietary factor that affects health, but this has not always been the case. The absolute amount and relative proportions of plant cell wall material vary with the biological origins of the food, degree of maturity and extent of food processing. Polyols are another group of carbohydrate-like molecules derived from sugars that occur naturally in pears and other fruits.
